Brian Branch looked back on what happened after the game and explained what he learned to use for the rest of the year.

The Detroit Lions put together a dominant defensive outing in Week 7 versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and even though it looked like they survived fine without suspended safety Brian Branch, his absence was still felt.

Detroit’s reserves gained useful reps against a tough NFC opponent, and Branch had to sit at home after being punished for a postgame altercation with JuJu Smith-Schuster. The tough part? He couldn’t even sit through the broadcast because it hurt too much to watch.

Branch hated being benched for his own actions and didn’t want to see his teammates compete without him. Still, the time away allowed him to think about his importance to the defense and what he needs to bring the rest of the year. It also fired him up for a big Week 9 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.

“(It gives me) a whole lot of drive to come back. I feel like they added another chip to my shoulder. I also want to say sorry for it, because I did that. That’s not something I stand for, and it won’t happen again, but it definitely put another chip on my shoulder.”

Branch’s coaches and teammates have backed him up since the incident, with a few even wearing his jersey after beating Tampa Bay. He doesn’t take that support lightly.

“It means everything. I feel like I hurt the team with what I did. For them to still ride with me, I love them for that. Like I said, I’d go to battle for them any day, and that’s not changing.”

Now, with a chance to show he understands the consequences, Branch has to prove it on the field against a division rival.

Branch plans to control his emotions down the stretch

Even with the team standing behind him, Branch has spent time going over what he did. To make a real impact, he knows he has to stay available and not let his emotions turn into penalties.

This year, Branch hasn’t just been suspended — he’s also been flagged and fined for extra stuff after the whistle. His list of incidents is long enough that he’s developed a label. Branch understands he has to keep the edge in his game, but in a smarter way. His coaches have been stressing that balance.

“I feel like I get caught up playing with too much emotion and that leads to that stuff. I can still play with energy, but it has to be inside the whistle. Now we’re pushing toward the playoffs, so none of that other stuff matters. I just have to be smarter in those moments. Coach tells me all the time they’ll try to poke at me or get me to react. He said keep the fire, but don’t strike back when they do it and just play through the whistle.”

This week will be a big chance for Branch to prove he can manage that balance. Even if he didn’t like being suspended for Week 7, it’s clear the time off may have helped him learn something valuable.