The peaceful exchange of post-game handshakes gave way to fisticuffs and body slams as the Chiefs and Lions brawled at the end of their hard-fought Sunday Night Football matchup.
The trouble started after the final kneel down as the Chiefs put the finishing touches on their 30-17 victory.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes extended his hand to Lions safety Brian Branch, who declined to shake the victorious QB’s hand (more on that in a minute). Instead, Branch made a beeline for Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was pumping his arms and celebrating the win.
As Branch approached, Smith-Schuster extended his hand to the Detroit defender, thinking he was coming in for a customary post-game handshake. However, in place of a handshake, Smith-Schuster received a pop right in the jaw.
The blow sent the receiver falling to the ground as Branch began backing up with Chiefs running back Isaiah Pacheco getting between the two.
Smith-Schuster quickly got to his feet and charged at Branch, who then slung the receiver to the ground, and the melee was on.
Dozens of players and coaches from both teams descended on the combatants in an effort to either break it up or land some blows. Toward the end of the scrape, an unidentified man in a black Chiefs jacket grabbed Branch from behind and pulled him to the ground.
“We play the game in between the whistles,” Mahomes told NBC’s Melissa Stark after the fight.. “They can do all the extra-curricular stuff they want to do. But we thought we played a great game today, and we’ll keep this momentum moving forward.”
Some online believe Mahomes himself may have precipitated some of the bad blood earlier in the game after he taunted Branch following a touchdown run.
Despite the league’s stated intent to crack down on taunting by making it a 15-yard penalty, no flag was thrown on Mahomes for his actions on that play. That episode likely led to Branch passing on the chance to shake Mahomes’ hand after the kneel down. However, even the uncalled taunting penalty against Mahomes doesn’t explain or excuse Branch’s actions toward Smith-Schuster.
Lions coach Dan Campbell criticized Branch’s actions in his post-game press conference, calling it “inexcusable.”
“I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable,” Campbell told reporters. “And it’s not gonna be accepted here. It’s not what we do, it’s not what we’re about. I apologize to Coach [Andy] Reid and the Chiefs and, you know, [Smith-]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. That’s not what we do.”
Branch will likely face a hefty fine and perhaps a significant suspension once the league has an opportunity to review the tape of the fight. Though given the number of players involved, Branch will likely not be the only player disciplined.
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