The Detroit Lions are missing several players in their secondary for the Week 7 contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and safety Brian Branch is one of them.
But unlike fellow safety Kerby Joseph and cornerbacks and D.J. Reed and Terrion Arnold, all of whom are out because of injuries, Branch is out because he's suspended for one game following his inexcusable actions in Week 6.
Here's more details behind why Branch received a one-game suspension from the NFL, which is looming especially large on Monday night given the other absences the Lions have.
Brian Branch suspension explained
Branch is suspended one game by the NFL for his actions after the Week 7 game against the Kansas City Chiefs that sparked a scuffle between the two teams.
Branch fired an open-handed punch at Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who then attempted to retaliate by chasing Branch down, which led to both teams getting into a big scuffle that thankfully didn't lead to anything worse.
"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 VP of football operations Jon Runyan said in a letter to Branch. "Your conduct reflected poorly on the NFL and has no place in our game."
After the game, Branch admitted his mistake, but he also shared why he did it and it had to do with Smith-Schuster blocking him in the back, an infraction he says the officials missed.
"I got blocked in the back illegally and it was in front of the ref," he said after the game. "The ref didn’t do anything and just stuff like that. And that’s – I could have got hurt off of that, but it’s still, I still shouldn’t have (hit Smith-Schuster)."
Smith-Schuster did not receive a fine for retaliating, or for his block in the back, which was actually caught on video.
Brian Branch-NFL Films controversy, explained
Days after Branch's suspension was handed down, NFL Films briefly put out a video that went overboard in highlighting Branch's struggles in the game versus Kansas City, which was also used to explain why Branch did what he did to JuJu.
It wasn't a good look for NFL Films, which later deleted the video and went on to admit its mistake. Louis Riddick, the ESPN analyst responsible for the Branch breakdown, also admitted his mistake.
You can check the video out below.
Nah, nah, nah. You don’t get to put the toothpaste back in the tube, NFL.
Here’s their weird-energy video insulting Brian Branch. pic.twitter.com/8wkqibeHKB
— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) October 16, 2025
When is Brian Branch coming back?
Because Branch was only suspended one game, he will be eligible to return for the Lions' next contest, which comes in Week 9 because the Lions have a bye in Week 8.
NFL trade rumors