During the Week 6 matchup at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs and Detroit Lions were at their most irate. After the match, when Chiefs wide receiver Smith-Schuster attempted to shake hands with Lions safety Brian Branch, he was passed by quarterback Patrick Mahomes and struck on the facemask by Branch. Mahomes made a strong statement in response to the incident.
“We play the game in between the whistles. They can do all the extracurricular stuff they want to do.”
Juju Smith-Schuster And Brian Branch Are Involved in An Ugly Fight
Patrick Mahomes, Juju Smith-Schuster and Brian Branch | Credits: Twitter
The incident occurred atArrowhead Stadium during the Week 6 matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Chiefs, in which Kansas City beat the Lions by a score of 30-17. Mahomes passed for a stunning 257 yards and three touchdowns. Moreover, Jared Goff threw two touchdowns, one to Sam LaPorta and one to Jameson Williams. The Chiefs improved to 3-3, and the Lions to 4-2.
Things turned wild when the teams went to shake hands. And Brian suddenly smacked Schuster in the face mask, knocking him to the ground. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes seemed to be attempting to shake Branch’s hand, but Branch ignored him, which led to the postgame drama. Players from both teams arrived, causing a brief brawl before coaches and officials intervened to restore order.
The clash occurred in the fourth quarter, when Branch felt that Smith-Schuster had illegally come from behind. He felt frustrated by the rough treatment he had been facing, and Branch later admitted that he let his emotions get the better of him.
“I did a little childish thing, but I’m tired of people doing stuff in between the plays and refs not catching it. I should’ve never done it. It was childish.”
Lion HC Dan Campbell didn’t mince words, tagging Branch’s behavior as “inexcusable” and apologizing to the Chiefs. NFL insiders expect fines to follow, though suspensions seem unlikely.