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Brian Branch punch starts postgame fight following Chiefs win over Lions

FaceProfileby: Thomas Goldkamp10/13/25
Scrum

At the end of a Sunday Night Football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions tempers flared. A scrum developed with about 30 to 40 players coming together.

Luckily, it didn’t appear that any punches truly landed and there were no obvious signs of injury. The incident seemed to start when Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes seemed to offer a post-game handshake to Lions defensive defensive back Brian Branch and was denied.

Shortly after, a few Chiefs seemed to take offense. Then Branch appeared to throw a glancing punch toward Kansas City receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster‘s helmet. The fight then went to the ground, as several others got involved.

NBC broadcaster Mike Tirico did his best to narrate the action as it unfolded, then provided a more thorough recap with the benefit of the replay. He explained what he saw from the Chiefs and Lions.

“We’ve got a look, our guys were watching here. End of the game here, Branch walking by,” Tirico said. “Mahomes extends the hand to him. Branch doesn’t respond. Doesn’t put his hand out.

“Out of that, JuJu Smith-Schuster saw that and then Branch and JuJu continue to pass by and he gives JuJu a shot, who goes down. And that’s where the whole thing began. Was (Isiah) Pacheco, Branch, JuJu and other players involved, including Trent McDuffie.”

After a minute or two, the Chiefs and the Lions seemed to get things sorted out and cooler heads prevailed. Naturally, Kansas City players were asked about the interaction after the game, which they had won 30-17.

“They can do all the extracurricular stuff they want to do, but we play the game between the whistles,” Mahomes said. The veteran quarterback was sharp in the win, throwing for 257 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for another score.

But it’ll be interesting to see if the league disciplines the two sides for the scrap as the clock ticked down. As Tirico noted on the broadcast, Branch has already received several fines from the NFL.

“The league’s going to take action on that one against Branch,” fellow broadcaster Cris Collinsworth opined.