Lions’ Brian Branch shares incredible stat with Ed Reed, following ‘betrayal’ game against Bears

Brian Branch said the players and staff felt betrayed by Ben Johnson, as his elite form continues

The Detroit Lions were humiliated by the Green Bay Packers in Week 1. Despite their best efforts on the road, Jared Goff and the Lions offense had totaled just six points through the first three quarters, and only scored a touchdown thanks to an incredible one-handed grab by rookie Isaac TeSlaa.

The noise in the media was instant. Dan Campbell had lost both of his coordinators to head coaching jobs in the offseason, and they looked like a shell of themselves as a result on the field.

Until Week 2, when the Lions made a point of humiliating the Chicago Bears, led by former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

Campbell had shown confidence in the coordinators he hired to replace both Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, and their performance against the Bears reinforced that point.

Johnson said he wanted to stay in the NFC North in his opening press conference with the Bears, and the Lions were paying attention.

After dominating the Bears with a 52-21 victory, Brian Branch was asked about the team’s motivation going into the game against Johnson and his team. He replied:

“Very motivated. We knew coming into this game that this was personal. Really, all these games are personal, but this one we felt like we’d been betrayed. From the staff to the players. We love Ben, he’s a great coach, great mastermind, but yeah, it was time to get out there.”

It worked too, with Ben Johnson very clearly frustrated by the outcome of the game.

Branch had six tackles in the game, a sack on Caleb Williams, and a forced fumble on running back D’Andre Swift. He plays so fast that he needs to be accounted for wherever he is on the field, just like legendary safety Ed Reed.

Speaking of which, Branch’s first three seasons in the NFL so far have only ever been matched by one man.

The Lions’ safety, who is playing at an All-Pro level within their defense, shares a stat line with Ed Reed that no other defensive back has ever been able to achieve.

Branch and Reed are the only DBs in NFL history to record these stats in their first three years in the league:

Brian Branch is also only two games into his third season, and on pace to better Reed’s numbers.

That’s pretty astonishing considering Reed is one of the greatest safeties to ever live, and a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2019.

The Lions have one of the biggest game changers in the NFL patrolling their secondary, and yet somehow, he still feels a little under-appreciated.

Lions’ Brian Branch suggested Johnson could have gone ‘anywhere else’

Interestingly, it does seem that the feeling inside the locker room from both the players and the coaches is one of betrayal.

Branch alluded to the players and coaches taking it personally, and while Dan Campbell has been very professional about it publicly, you could tell his team was out to prove something on Sunday.

Branch said: “Yeah, he could have went anywhere else, but he gotta see us again so…”

The Lions will play the Chicago Bears again on the final day of the regular season, which could be an even bigger game if it comes with playoff implications.