Patrick Mahomes takes shot at Brian Branch, Lions over postgame fight: 'We play the game in between the whistles'

A fight broke out at the conclusion of the Kansas City Chiefs’ 30-17 Week 6 home victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. The incident came about after Lions safety Brian Branch declined a postgame handshake from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Moments later, after JuJu Smith-Schuster began jawing at him, Branch took a swing at the Chiefs wide receiver. The fight was on from there, players from both teams rushing in to break it up. Mahomes called out Branch and the Lions after the game.

“They can do all the extracurricular stuff they want to do, but we play the game between the whistles,” Mahomes told Melissa Stark of NBC Sports.

"They can do all the extracurricular stuff they want to do, but we play the game between the whistles."

-Patrick Mahomes pic.twitter.com/7DdDPwI9qe

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 13, 2025

The initial punch from Branch appeared to have dome some damage to Smith-Schuster. Video afterward showed Smith-Schuster walking back to the locker room holding a towel over his face. Lions head coach Dan Campbell called Branch’s actions “inexcusable.”

“I love Brian Branch but what he did was inexcusable and it’s not going to be accepted here,” Campbell said. “It’s not what we do, it’s not what we’re about. I apologize to coach [Andy] Reid and the Chiefs and Smith-Schuster. That’s not OK. That’s not what we do here. And it’s not going to be OK. He knows it, our team knows it. So, that’s not what we do.”

Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes win the battle on the field vs. Lions

These two teams are in separate conferences, so obviously, the only way they see each other again is if they meet in the Super Bowl. Kansas City has set up a residency there over the last several years, appearing in each of the last three Super Bowls. The Lions have never gotten there but are well-equipped to make a run.

But on Sunday night, it was all Chiefs. Entering the game an uncharacteristic 2-3, Kansas City desperately needed to get back to .500. The offense led the way, finishing with 355 total yards. Mahomes completed 22-of-30 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with eight different receivers. Tight end Travis Kelce paced all pass catchers with six catches for 78 yards, his best game of the 2025 season.

Defensively, the Chiefs kept quarterback Jared Goff to just 203 yards of passing. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown did not make a sizable impact on the game, making nine catches for only 45 yards.

The Chiefs rebounded from a tough loss the week prior to the Jacksonville Jaguars. They are one game behind the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers for first place in the AFC West.