Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch was ejected on Sunday in Green Bay after delivering a helmet-to-helmet hit on Packers receiver Bo Melton. Branch struck Melton near the sideline after Jordan Love attempted a deep pass to him on second-and-20 in the second quarter. He was penalized for unnecessary roughness, with the hit deemed serious enough for an ejection.

NFL senior vice president of officiating Perry Fewell explained to a pool reporter post-game that officials decided to eject Branch in conjunction with the league office in New York. “We reviewed all the angles and clearly felt he had time and space to make a different choice, as the act was a flagrant foul,” Fewell said. “He had the opportunity to avoid the head and neck area.”

Branch did not speak to reporters after the game, while Melton noted he didn’t think the hit 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 while I was in the air. So it is what it is.”

Lions coach Dan Campbell expressed a desire for Branch to maintain his aggressive play but emphasized the need for him to lower his target during such hits. He also suggested that the late-afternoon game time might 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 visibly upset about his ejection, gesturing to fans in the stands at Lambeau Field before being 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 failed to capitalize on the opportunity, as their drive ended with Brandon McManus missing a 46-yard field goal attempt wide left.