Lions’ Brian Branch Suspended for 1 Game After Scuffle With Chiefs

The Detroit cornerback slapped wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster after Sunday’s loss to Kansas City.

Marquise Brown (#5) of the Kansas City Chiefs scores a touchdown as he's tackled by Brian Branch (#32) of the Detroit Lions during the third quarter at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 12, 2025. Jamie Squire/Getty Images

The Kansas City Chiefs’ 30–17 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday was followed by a postgame scuffle, and it was not without consequences.

Lions cornerback Brian Branch, the main instigator, has been suspended by the NFL for one game and no pay for his hit to Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster after the game. Branch will appeal the decision, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

“Your aggressive, non-football act was entirely unwarranted, posed a serious risk of injury, and clearly violated the standards of conduct and sportsmanship expected of NFL players,” NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan wrote in a letter to Branch, via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. “Your conduct reflected poorly on the NFL and has no place in our game.”

In the incident, Branch denied a postgame handshake from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and Smith-Schuster quickly got in Branch’s face over the matter. Branch struck Smith-Schuster, which knocked him backward and other players then got involved. Smith-Schuster took a bloody nose from the incident as he left the field with a towel on his face.

“Well, you guys saw it,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters. “The guy [Branch] came up and hit JuJu for what looked like no reason—we’re taking a knee. So that’s tough, but pretty good damage on JuJu’s nose.”

Smith-Schuster, who had three receptions for 57 yards, didn’t expect Branch’s actions.

“I think after the game, I was expecting to shake his hand and say good game and move past, but he threw a punch,” Smith-Schuster told reporters. “At the end of the day, it’s a team sport.

“We came out here, did our job and that’s all that matters. Me just blocking him? I’m just doing my job. I play between the whistles and after the game he took advantage of what he did. He was for sure frustrated.”

Branch, who had seven tackles in the loss, apologized for the incident.

“I did a real childish thing,” Branch told reporters. “I’m tired of people doing stuff in between plays and refs don’t catch it. They be trying to bully me out there. I shouldn’t have did it, it was childish.”

Mahomes likewise focused on the game versus the Branch incident. The Chiefs quarterback completed 22 of 30 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns, and he rushed for 32 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

“I mean, we play the game in between the whistles,” Mahomes told NBC’s Melissa Stark. “They can do all the extracurricular stuff they want to do, but we play the game in between the whistles.”

Lions head coach Dan Campbell was not happy.

“Let me start with this,” Campbell told reporters. “I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable and it’s not going to be accepted here. It’s not what we do, it’s not what we’re about.

“I apologized to coach [Andy] Reid and the Chiefs and Schuster,” Campbell continued. “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.”

Branch has a history of misconduct with three fines this year and seven in 2024 due to late hits and unsportsmanlike conduct.

“I know he’s a better player than that, a better person,” Smith-Schuster said of Branch. “He’ll learn from his mistakes.”

A 2024 Pro Bowler, Branch joined the Lions as a 2023 second-round pick out of Alabama. Branch has 216 tackles, three sacks, one interception, three forced fumbles, and 34 pass deflections in 37 career games.

Detroit (4–2) will look to bounce back against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5–1) on Sunday. The Buccaneers beat the San Francisco 49ers 30–19 at home last weekend.

Kansas City (3–3) will look to get over .500 for the first time this season against the Las Vegas Raiders (2–4) in an AFC West showdown next Sunday. The Raiders beat the Tennessee Titans 20–10 at home last Sunday.