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While the game didn’t include much drama, there was plenty of fireworks immediately following the Chiefs’ 30-17 win over the Lions on Sunday night.
As the game was winding down, Patrick Mahomes attempted to shake hands with Brian Branch, who blew the Chiefs’ quarterback off. Branch’s actions drew the ire of Chiefs wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was smacked in the face by Branch when he confronted the Lions’ defensive back.
That started a fight between the two teams.
“I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable, and it’s not gonna be accepted here,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said from the podium after the game.”It’s not what we do. It’s not what we’re about. I apologize to coach [Andy] Reid and the Chiefs.”
Reid said that there had been “pretty good damage” to Smith-Schuster’s nose, but no further details were provided. “You guys saw it. The guy came up and hit Juju for what looked like no reason.”
Mahomes didn’t hold back when asked about what happened immediately after the game.
“We play the game in between the whistles,” Mahomes told NBC Sports. “They can do all the extra curricular stuff in between the whistles. I thought we played a great game today. And we’ll keep this momentum moving forward.”
Rest assured, there will be repercussion for Sunday night’s fight, especially for Branch, who according to NBC Sports’ broadcast has already been fined three times this year after receiving seven league-issued fines in 2024.
Regarding the game, the Chiefs definitely brought the fight to the 4-2 Lions, who saw their four-game winning streak come to an end in Kansas City.
Sunday night was an especially big night for Mahomes, who became the fastest quarterback in NFL history to reach 300 career touchdown passes including the postseason. Mahomes threw three touchdown passes as the Chiefs improved to 3-3 on the season.
