The Detroit Lions will face arguably their biggest test of the season Sunday afternoon when they take on Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers.
Since the beginning of their three-game win streak in Week 4, the Packers have looked like one of the NFL's very best teams. Notably, they've allowed no more than 14 points each of the past three weeks, and enter Week 7 with the league's 10th-ranked defense (20.8 points allowed/game).
As good as the Packers’ defense has been, though, it's hardly the only part of the team that has stood out in recent weeks. Green Bay, in fact, has also greatly benefited from the emergence of wide receivers Christian Watson and Matthew Golden.
Watson and Golden are both easily on the verge of breakout campaigns.
Watson has already compiled as many touchdowns as last season (six) and nearly as many receptions (29) and reception yards as he did a year ago (538). The 2022 second-round pick accumulated 35 catches and 611 yards in 10 games a season ago.
Meanwhile, Golden, Green Bay's first-round pick in 2025, has already exceeded all his receiving totals from his rookie season. He's coming off a 104-yard receiving performance last week against the Dallas Cowboys, and for the season, he's secured 30 catches, 501 yards and three touchdowns. And just like Watson, he's well on his way to notching a 1,000-yard receiving campaign.
Undoubtedly, keeping Watson and Golden in check will be a tough task for Detroit's secondary.
Luckily for Kelvin Sheppard's defense, though, Brian Branch will be active on Sunday for the first time in 2026, after missing the Lions’ first five games while recovering from a torn Achilles.
The Pro Bowl safety's presence alone should elevate the play of Detroit's defensive backfield, which has dealt with its fair share of struggles thus far this season.
“Whenever you gain a player like (Branch) and his caliber back, it's outstanding,” Sheppard told reporters earlier this week. "There are multiple things that player can do to help us, and we'll find the spots that we feel is right and he feels is right for him as we progress.”
When Branch is at his very best, he's a plus defender against both the run and the pass. Just last year, he earned a Pro Football Focus run defense grade of 82.6 and a PFF pass coverage mark of 74.3, both top-13 marks among all qualified safeties last season.
So, he should be a big help when it comes to attempting to curtail the production of Watson and Golden Sunday.
And he could be especially resourceful when it comes to defending Watson. While Watson surely possesses the ability to beat defenders deep, he also does a striking amount of his damage over the middle of the field. In fact, he paces all NFL receivers with 309 receiving yards in the middle part of the field, equating to a staggering 28.1 yards per catch on such targets.
As a result, a strong day in coverage from Branch could go a long way toward preventing Watson from exploding for a big afternoon.
At this present juncture, I'm willing to predict that Watson finishes with six catches for 67 yards in the Week 7 divisional matchup.
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