The Detroit Lions suffered a loss, and right after the end of the fourth quarter, things spiraled out of control. Even Patrick Mahomes was seen running in to try to break up the fight between opponents and his Kansas City Chiefs teammates, who traded heavy punches during the Sunday Night Football matchup.
Following the brawl, significant fines are expected as the NFL office will have to carefully review footage of the altercation. According to the TV broadcast, JuJu Smith-Schuster was seen throwing punches at Brian Branch after the Lions player struck him in the helmet. Branch refused to shake hands with either Mahomes or Smith-Schuster after the game.
“A pissed off Patrick Mahomes to NBC broadcast after Brian Branch gave JuJu Smith-Schuster an off-guard smack to the head sparking a postgame scuffle: ‘They can do all the extracurricular stuff they want to do, but we play the game between the whistles.‘” report by Cameron Wolf on X.
Following the altercation, a report from Sports Radio 810 WHS indicated that Smith-Schuster was seen heading back to the locker room with a towel held to his nose, accompanied by members of the Chiefs staff assisting him.
How did the Lions-Chiefs fight start?
As explained above, Branch apparently was the one who initiated the first confrontation. Video from before the scuffle shows the Lions player completely ignoring Mahomes, who attempted to shake his hand, with the quarterback simply giving him a pat on the shoulder. However, the situation was different with Smith-Schuster, who appeared to provoke the Chiefs player directly.
It is highly probable that Branch will face some form of suspension, though that decision must come from the NFL. However, since Smith-Schuster also pursued his aggressor in retaliation, he could also receive a penalty from the league.
