Detroit Lions defensive back Brian Branch records first career interception against Kansas City Chiefs.
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00:00 Don Brian Branch records his first career interception and it comes against a two-time NFL MVP quarterback in Patrick Mahomes in the season opener and it returns it for a touchdown as well.
00:09 How just magnificent of an interception return for a touchdown was that by Mr. Brian Branch?
00:15 Yeah Vito, you look at Brian Branch and what did we see all throughout training camp?
00:19 A player that was just around the football, making plays, studying film. A player that was ready to make an impact.
00:24 Look Vito, we've talked about it ad nauseum. This was a player that was supposed to be down on the depth chart. Maybe learning from a veteran like CJ Gardner-Johnson.
00:32 Wasn't supposed to see the field that quickly, but based on his play, he quickly shot up the depth chart and earned his position as a starting nickel cornerback.
00:40 And that's a position the front office felt like would suit him quite well. And boy, you saw a player that reacted quickly.
00:46 A ball that should have been caught, but ended up being a pass that really ended up with an athletic move right in his wheelhouse and he was able to sprint wide open to the end zone.
00:57 And I think it was nice to see a player get rewarded for all the hard work that he's done early on to get himself acclimated.
01:04 Vito, it's not easy to make the football game look easy. The work that he's putting in is tremendous.
01:09 And you know, players from Alabama take their craft very seriously. They hit the books, they study, they want to impress.
01:15 And I think that Brian Branch has a chip on his shoulder for falling all the way down into the second round.
01:20 No way was he a second round draft pick when you saw the player that he was, the praise that he earned from Nick Saban.
01:27 You realize that if a player can succeed at Alabama and earn the praise of a defensive guru like Nick Saban, that's a player to be reckoned with.
01:34 And I think for him, his confidence is only growing. And even knowing that there's so much for him to continue to improve upon,
01:42 you're seeing a player that has firmly established himself as a contributor and a player that can be a real strength for the Detroit Lions defense.
01:50 You saw in that game early on a little bit of a struggle for the Lions defense to stop the running attack of Patrick Mahomes.
01:58 I mean, it's really difficult to contain a player of that caliber.
02:01 But in the second half, with some adjustments, that defense, defensive line and secondary,
02:06 they held the Chiefs without a third down conversion in the entire second half.
02:10 And Brian Branch's interception really gave the roster and the entire defense a jolt of momentum, which did help that football team win the game.
02:20 And you realize there was an opportunity maybe the Chiefs could have had to extend their lead when they were up seven.
02:25 But the opportunity that Brian Branch took advantage of really helped the squad.
02:30 And all you can say is there's more to come for this talented rookie, a player that is going to be a mainstay for the Lions defense for a long time.