Detroit Lions defensive back Brian Branch was ejected from the game against the Green Bay Packers after taking a brutal helmet-to-helmet hit on Packers wide receiver Bo Melton.

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The brutal hit was ruled a helmet-to-helmet strike, but further investigation revealed that Branch had engaged in unsportsmanlike conduct and he has now been ejected from the game.

Initially, Branch was only hit with the flag for the hit. After long discussions with the referees in the game, he was then excluded from the game.

The exclusion is difficult for the Lions to swallow as Branch is one of the best secondary players in the league.

Ari Meirov posted more about what happened, and it appears that Branch was simply ejected for the hit. To be honest, he wanted to make the tackle, and even though it was a helmet-to-helmet duel, there's not much in the video above that should have led to his ejection.

Either way, the Lions will now be without Branch for the rest of the game. The young defender is shown trying to plead with the officials but to no avail. He was immediately taken to the locker room.

At the time of writing, the Lions are on top with a score of 7-3. This is a crucial divisional matchup, not only because both teams play in the NFC North, but also because they are both gunning for first place in the division.

The Lions are currently in first place with a record of 6-1, but the Packers are right behind with a record of 6-2. A win today would put the Green Back back at the top of the division.

There's still a lot more football to play, but division games are even more important because they can come down to the wire as to who secures the division title and a playoff spot.

The Lions continue to demonstrate their dominance in the NFL. They surprised everyone in the NFL in 2023 and secured their first NFC North win in 30 years. They almost reached the Super Bowl but were defeated by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.

As it stands, the Lions are showing the same skill and could once again be the team to beat in the NFC. Losing Branch for the game will be hard to swallow, but Detroit needs to keep the ball rolling.

For more information about the Lions, see Newsweek Sports.