A tussle erupted during the closing moments of the Chiefs’ victory over the Lions when Detroit defensive back Brian Branch slapped Kansas City receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
This incident unfolded shortly after Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes took a knee to let the clock run down and players began to shake hands.
Branch brushed past Isaiah Pacheco, ignored Mahomes’s handshake, and then confronted Smith-Schuster, delivering a slap.
Pacheco attempted to intervene, hoping to prevent any escalation, but Smith-Schuster charged back, triggering the scuffle.
Fortunately, calm heads prevailed and the situation was defused quickly.
In the aftermath, Branch expressed to officials that his action stemmed from frustration over being illegally blocked from behind by Smith-Schuster.
He remarked, “They’re trying to bully me there,” adding that the confrontation shouldn’t have occurred. “It was childish,” he commented.
In sharing his feelings, Branch noted he was irritated after the illegal block took place right in front of a referee at the end of the match.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell addressed the incident during a press conference, stating, “I love Brian Branch, but what he did was inexcusable and will not be accepted here.” He emphasized, “That’s not what we’re doing,” and offered apologies to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and Smith-Schuster, marking the behavior as unacceptable.
There’s a likelihood Branch will hear from the league about his actions, though it remains uncertain if anyone else will face consequences from the postgame altercation.
Mahomes, speaking on NBC, remarked, “So we’re going to play between the whistles. They can do all the extracurricular activities they want to do.”
Branch’s history in the league includes an ejection last year for a late hit on receiver Bo Melton against the Packers, where he also received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
He later apologized for that incident as well.
The Lions clearly showed their frustration following their 30-17 defeat to the Chiefs that night.
