Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch was ejected on Sunday at Green Bay after making a helmet-to-helmet hit on Packers receiver Bo Melton.
Branch hit Melton near the Packers’ sideline after Jordan Love tried to throw a deep pass to him on second-and-20 in the second quarter. He was penalized for unnecessary roughness, and the hit was deemed serious enough for an ejection.
NFL senior vice president of officiating Perry Fewell told a pool reporter after the Lions’ 24-14 win that the game officials decided to eject Branch in agreement with the league office in New York.
“We reviewed all the angles, and we clearly felt that he had time and space to make a different choice, as the act was a flagrant foul,” Fewell said. “And he clearly had the opportunity to avoid the head and neck area.”
Branch did not talk to reporters after the game. Melton mentioned that he didn’t think the hit to the head was intentional. “He was playing ball,” Melton said. “I’m all good, so it is what it is. He was playing ball, and he hit me when I was in the air. So it is what it is.”
Lions coach Dan Campbell said he wants Branch to keep his aggressive play but pointed out that the safety needs to remember to lower his target during those kinds of hits. He also suggested that the late-afternoon game time may have influenced the ejection.
“He’s got to get used to it, too,” Campbell said. “When you’re playing in prime-time games, New York’s going to look at all of these. They don’t care about the 1 o’clock games. They do (care about) those prime-time games. Understand the situation and work through it. He’ll be fine.”
Branch was upset about being thrown out and gestured at fans in the stands at Lambeau Field before he was escorted off the field and into the locker room.
Instead of facing third-and-20 from their own 38-yard line, the Packers gained a first down from Detroit’s 32. However, they couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity, as their drive ended with Brandon McManus missing a 46-yard field goal attempt wide left.
