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Lions DB Brian Branch returned to practice after serving his one-game suspension in Week 8 for unsportsmanlike conduct in their previous game against the Chiefs. Branch said he’s moving on from the incident.
“I dealt with the consequences they gave me and I’m moving forward now,” Branch said, via Eric Woodyard of ESPN.
Now that Detroit enters its bye week, DE Aidan Hutchinson points out that Branch will come back to the lineup with “fresh legs.”
“It’s great. BB, he’s got two weeks off now, so he’s got fresh legs. He’s ready to go. A great little bye week in the middle and I’m excited,” Hutchinson said. “BB is one of those guys on our defense that is really the heart and soul and the tone setter so I can’t wait to have him back.”
Branch feels like he has “a lot of motivation” with his return.
“A lot of motivation. I feel like it’s another chip on my shoulder that they just added,” Branch said. “And I also want to apologize for that, for what I did. That’s something I don’t condone, and it’ll never happen again, but it definitely added another chip to my shoulder.”
The Packers recently activated WR Christian Watson from injured reserve, recording four receptions for 85 yards in their win over the Steelers. Watson reflected on his return, saying Week 8 felt like a “pretty routine game day” for him.
“When I was getting ready to pack my bag and go downstairs is when it started to hit me, the long road that I was on,” Watson said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “It meant a lot for me to get this [far]. I’d say that, but honestly it felt like a pretty routine game day for everything that happened and everything I went through the last nine months. It really felt like a really normal game day for me. I’m thankful for that.”
Packers HC Matt LaFleur said Watson brings an element of size, speed, and versatility to their offense.
“It’s the same thing that we’ve been seeing in practice,” LaFleur said. “He brings an element to our offense and to our team, just the size, the speed, and I’ve talked about it many times, just his versatility.”
LaFleur said Watson played more than initially anticipated against Pittsburgh.
“He actually played a little bit more than probably anticipated,” LaFleur said. “But that was something that we were monitoring the whole game. … I don’t think you can treat every play the same. It’s different if you’re on the backside, if you’re run blocking, versus if you’re running a post down the field. So there’s a little bit of wiggle room there.”
Packers TE Tucker Kraft is poised to achieve career highs in 2025, already recording 30 receptions for 469 yards and six touchdowns. Green Bay QB Jordan Love praised Kraft for continuously making “big play after big play.”
*“Every time he catches the ball, he’s making...
