By Alex Valdes, Jesse Newell and Colton Pouncy
The Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs fought hard Sunday night. Even after the final whistle.
Several players from both teams scuffled on the field after the Chiefs’ 30-17 victory, beginning when Detroit defensive back Brian Branch slapped the helmeted head of Kansas City wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. A few moments earlier, Branch had ignored a Patrick Mahomes handshake as both teams filed onto the field, as is usual after NFL games.
As it appeared on the NBC broadcast, Smith-Schuster said something to Branch, prompting Branch to slap Smith-Schuster. Smith-Schuster fell to the ground, then went after Branch, with Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco trying to hold Branch back.
Things then got uglier, with Smith-Schuster, Pacheco, Branch and other players mixing it up. Smith-Schuster later said he was bleeding afterward. Mahomes ran over to the scrum and wound up under a pile of players before being pulled to safety.
Branch said he was angry after being blocked in the back by Smith-Schuster late in the game.
“I did a little childish thing, but I’m tired of people doing stuff in between a play and refs don’t catch it,” Branch said in the Lions’ locker room. “Like them trying to bully me out there. Should’ve never did it. It was childish.”
The play Branch was referring to occurred in the waning minutes of the Chiefs’ victory Sunday night, a running play up the middle.
“I got blocked in the back illegally and it was in front of the ref and the ref didn’t do anything, and just stuff like that,” Branch said. “I could’ve got hurt off of that. But I still should not have done that.
“There’s a lot of stuff, but I should’ve settled it between the whistles, not after the game, and I apologize for that.”
Brian Branch after the Lions’ 30-17 loss to the Chiefs: pic.twitter.com/tsUSQljlBC
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) October 13, 2025
Smith-Schuster defended his block of Branch, saying, “Me just blocking him, just doing my job. I played between the whistles, and after the game, he took advantage of what he did.
“I expect to shake his hand and say, ‘Good game’ and move Pat’s way. But he threw a punch, and at the end of the day, it’s a team sport, right? We came out here. We did our job. We won. And that’s all that matters.
“But I know he’s a better player than that, a better person. So he’ll learn from his mistakes.”
After the game, Mahomes appeared to take a not-so-subtle jab at the Lions’ actions.
“We play the game in between the whistles,” the three-time Super Bowl champion said. “They can do all the extracurricular stuff they want to do, but we play the game in between the whistles, and I thought we played a great game today. We’ll keep this momentum moving forward.
“At this point, it just kind of is what it is,” Mahomes also said. “You just move on. We won the football game. I thought we did a great job and played well. But now, we’re on to the Raiders.”
Lions coach Dan Campbell said he was unhappy with Branch’s actions.
“I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable and it’s not gonna be accepted here,” Campbell said. “It’s not what we do, it’s not what we’re about. I apologized to coach (Andy) Reid and the Chiefs and Schuster. That’s not OK. That’s not what we do here, and it’s not gonna be OK. He knows it, our team knows it, so that’s just not what we do.”
Branch was penalized earlier this season for chucking Tucker Kraft’s helmet in a Week 1 game against the Green Bay Packers, resulting in a fine of $23,186. He also was ejected in a game last November against the Packers for targeting. As he left the field, he flipped off Packers fans. He apologized afterward for his actions, which cost him $20,256 in fines.
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