The Detroit Lions' big win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday came with a cost.
Lions safety Brian Branch was carted to the locker room in the second half of Detroit's 44-30 victory with what the team called an ankle injury.
Tests confirmed on Friday that Branch has a torn Achilles and will be out for the remainder of the season, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported.
Branch had 75 total tackles this season, the third most on the team.
It's a big blow to an already depleted Lions secondary that was already playing without safety Kerby Joseph on Thursday and had cornerback Terrion Arnold ruled out for the season with a shoulder injury last week.
Despite their victory on Thursday, the Lions still sit on the outside of the NFC playoff picture. At 8-5, Detroit is third in the NFC North and one game behind the 9-4 San Francisco 49ers for the final wild-card spot in the conference.
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