The Detroit Lions have suffered another major blow to their secondary. Just one week after losing rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold for the season, the team has now lost starting safety Brian Branch. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Branch tore his Achilles during Thursday Night Football and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season.

Branch has been one of Detroit’s most impactful young defenders since being drafted in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He earned votes for Defensive Rookie of the Year as a rookie and followed that up with a Pro Bowl appearance last season. Through 12 games this year, Branch recorded 75 total tackles, five tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, nine pass breakups, and a forced fumble. He ranks third on the team in total tackles and second in solo tackles (48).

Despite the Lions’ critical win over the Dallas Cowboys to strengthen their playoff push, injuries continue to mount. Detroit now has two safeties on injured reserve, while Kerby Joseph and Thomas Harper are also battling injuries. Joseph hasn’t played since Oct. 12 but is still targeting a return before the end of the season, possibly by Week 16. Daniel Thomas is currently the only fully healthy safety on the roster, and Harper was seen in a walking boot after the Cowboys game.

Once Branch’s status becomes official, the Lions will have 13 players on injured reserve, including four intended starters and two members of the secondary. Detroit’s pass defense has been around league average, but losing two rising stars makes the unit’s challenge even tougher. The Lions surrendered 376 passing yards to the Cowboys—though Dallas boasts one of the NFL’s most explosive passing attacks.

If the Pittsburgh Steelers drop their next two games against the Ravens and Dolphins, their playoff hopes will still be alive entering the Week 16 matchup with Detroit—a game that just became more favorable for Pittsburgh given the Lions’ depleted secondary.