Lions DB gives Chiefs WR a ‘pie face’ shove after snubbing Patrick Mahomes

Tempers flared at the end of Sunday night’s game at Arrowhead Stadium, which could result in a key Detroit Lions defender receiving another fine from the NFL.

Following their 30-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Lions safety Brian Branch was involved in a brief postgame scuffle with Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, leading to both teams stepping in to separate the two.

As the clock expired, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes approached Branch for what appeared to be a routine handshake. Instead, Branch brushed him off and walked away.

Seeing the exchange, Smith-Schuster went over to confront Branch, which ended with Branch shoving the Chiefs receiver to the ground with an open-hand “pie face.” Players and coaches from both teams quickly moved in to break up the altercation.

“I mean, we play the game in-between the whistles,” Mahomes said regarding the altercation in a postgame interview. “They can do all the extracurricular stuff they want to do. But we play the game in-between the whistles and we thought we played a great game today.”

This incident isn’t the first time Branch has drawn attention from the league office. The second-year safety has already been fined multiple times this season, including twice in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers — two $11,593 penalties for facemasking and taunting. He was later fined $11,598 for a low block during the Week 3 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

While the NFL typically announces fines on the Saturday before its Sunday slate of games, Branch’s recent history suggests another penalty could be coming his way for instigating the postgame confrontation.

With the loss to the Chiefs, the Lions dropped to 4-2 on the season.