With the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs losing in Week 7, the Minnesota Vikings are now the NFL's lone unbeaten team with a record of 6-0. Two of the six wins came against NFC North rivals, as they defeated the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 and the Chicago Bears in Week 2. But a win this Sunday would bring a third win within the division, as the Vikings take on the Detroit Lions.
Seeing the Lions on the schedule should make Justin Jefferson salivate, as the four-time Pro Bowler has performed better against Detroit than any other team throughout his career. The fact that Dan Campbell's crew currently has one of the worst defenses in the league through the first seven weeks doesn't hurt but the Lions have been without the services of safety Brian Branch.
Branch returned last week in the 20-17 win over the Packers and with him back in the lineup, it represents an interesting dynamic in Sunday's game.
Minnesota Vikings must account for Brian Branch in Justin Jefferson's matchup vs. Detroit Lions
In a dozen games against Detroit since joining the league in 2020, Jefferson has 82 receptions on 114 targets for 1,285 yards and five touchdowns. The receptions, targets and yardage represent the highest totals he's had against any team, with his five scores ranking only second to the seven touchdowns he's scored against the Packers.
If that wasn't enough proof, his single-game high of 223 yards came against Detroit back in Week 14 of the 2022 season in a 34-23 loss to the Lions at Ford Field.
This week in the Motor City, Jefferson and the Vikings are set to face a Lions defense that has surrendered the most total yards per game (391.0), the most passing yards per game (291.8), and the seventh-most points per contest (27.5). But Branch's return changes things.
A Pro Bowler two seasons ago, the 2023 second-round pick was having another strong campaign in 2025 before suffering a torn left Achilles in a Week 14 win over the Dallas Cowboys. The injury meant that he started this season on the PUP list and sat out Detroit's first five games.
As mentioned, Branch made his long-awaited return this past Sunday against the Packers and made his presence felt, tallying four total tackles and intercepting Jordan Love early in the fourth quarter. He also earned an impressive 91.1 overall PFF grade, the second-highest mark of any Detroit defender behind superstar edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (91.5).
Vikings have an easy way to keep Justin Jefferson away from Brian Branch
One can assume the Lions will use Branch to help cover Jefferson when he goes underneath while also keeping fellow safeties Chuck Clark or Bishop Fitzgerald over the top. Vikings enemy Kerby Joseph would have also contributed to the cause, but is unlikely to play as he recovers from a chronic knee injury.
As the Vikings look to get Jefferson and the rest of the offense going, they certainly don't want his rhythm to be disrupted by Branch all afternoon. The easiest fix is for O'Connell to consistently use motion to keep his star wideout on the opposite side of the field.
That's not to say No. 18 shouldn't challenge Branch at times to open up opportunities for Kyler Murray to find Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings, and T.J. Hockenson. But life will be a lot easier for Jefferson (and anyone else, for that matter) to keep his distance from Branch and seek opportunities for explosive plays in Sunday's matchup.
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