The Green Bay Packers will meet a healthier Detroit Lions team when the NFC North rivals open their season series Sunday at Ford Field.
Pro Bowl safety Brian Branch and center Cade Mays are both expected to play after missing the early part of the 2026 season. Branch has not appeared in a game since tearing his Achilles in Week 14 of 2025. He had surgery in December and has spent nearly a year rehabilitating the injury.
Mays fractured a bone in his wrist during training camp and was placed on injured reserve. He opened his 21-day practice window earlier this month and has progressed to full participation.
Lions coach Dan Campbell confirmed the plan Monday.
“Barring anything negatively happening between now and the game, we plan on playing both of [Branch and Mays],” Campbell told reporters on Oct. 19.
Branch’s Return Should Help Detroit’s Secondary
Without Branch, Detroit’s secondary has struggled. The Lions rank last in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game at 297.4 through five games. They also sit 32nd in total yards allowed and 30th in points allowed at 29.6 per game.
Branch, drafted in 2023, has been one of the league’s top safeties since entering the NFL. His absence left the back end vulnerable against the pass. He is expected to slot into the starting lineup immediately, though his snap count will be managed in his first action in more than 10 months.
The Packers enter with a 4-2 record and a defense that has improved in recent weeks.
Green Bay ranks near the top of the league in takeaways over its last two games. Jordan Love has thrown for 1,684 yards and 11 touchdowns in six games, though the Packers rank last in the NFL in rushing at roughly 60 yards per game.
Mays’ Return Makes Packers Stopping Jahmyr Gibbs More Difficult
On offense, Mays will start at center and push Juice Scruggs into a reserve role. Scruggs filled in effectively during Mays’ absence and has experience at all three interior spots from his time with the Houston Texans.
Campbell indicated the team prefers not to rotate the two at center.
The addition should help running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who has rushed for 504 yards and seven touchdowns while adding 243 receiving yards and two scores in five games. Gibbs has scored in every contest this season and ranks among the league leaders in scrimmage yards per game.
Jared Goff has thrown 12 touchdown passes with zero interceptions and a 111.3 passer rating. The Lions rank second in scoring at 32.8 points per game and fourth in total offense. They also lead the NFL with 20 sacks.
Improved pass protection and run blocking from Mays should strengthen an already productive offense that faces a Packers defense allowing just 193.3 passing yards per game.
Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs is also expected to return from the exempt list, giving the Packers a boost in the backfield against a Lions defense that has been inconsistent against the run.
It will be interesting to see what the returning players can provide for the Lions. As for Green Bay, the job just became more difficult. But, the Packers have been in a groove and are coming in on a three-game winning streak.
Green Bay Packers’ Goal of Beating Detroit Just Got More Difficult