ALLEN PARK -- There is no good time to lose one of your best defensive players. But with the secondary limping and pieces missing, Brian Branch could not have picked a worse time to get suspended.

The Detroit Lions are preparing to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football without their playmaking safety. Branch will appeal his one-game suspension without pay. But coach Dan Campbell said he’s moving forward with the expectation that Branch won’t be there on Monday.

The Lions should know Branch’s appeal status before the end of the week.

“I don’t want to think that way,” Campbell said. “If it happens, that’s a bonus. Right now, I’m assuming he’s out and he’s not going to play.”

The third-year defender brushed off Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, then, as rece

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