One of the more curious developments in their Week 14 snap counts was the fact that the Detroit Lions scaled back the role of rookie defensive back Brian Branch to just 37 snaps—or 52 percent of the defensive plays. Branch, one of the team’s second-round picks this year, has been arguably the best player in Detroit’s secondary. As a result, he had played at least 93 percent of the defensive snaps in each game from Weeks 8-13.
So why did the Lions scale back his involvement against the Bears? According to defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, the Lions wanted Branch to focus solely on the nickel cornerback position, rather than splitting time at safety.