After 4 straight victories, the winning streak of the Detroit Lions was ultimately stopped by the Kansas City Chiefs, 30-17, in a primetime showdown.

It’s good news for Patrick Mahomes and Co. as they are back in form after dealing with a Monday night loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. But it’s not only the Chiefs’ or Mahomes’ performance that is making headlines.

The first loss for the Detroit Lions since week 1 ended on a dramatic note as their safety Brian Branch delivered an open-handed strike to Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. This incident triggered the scuffle, and other players from both teams got involved.

Now, NFL insider Adam Schefter has revealed that the NFL will review both players. According to an NFL official, “determinations on discipline made from there.”

All of this started with a refusal to shake hands. After the game, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was seen trying to shake Branch’s hand as the two players crossed paths near midfield. But Branch ignored Mahomes and moved on without responding. This wasn’t liked by Smith-Schuster. So, he walked up to Branch and had a heated exchange with him.

However, Branch didn’t hold back and hit Smith-Schuster in the facemask, who fell on the ground because of the blow. As he got up on his feet, JuJu charged towards Branch. Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco saw this and rushed to stop Branch. But he didn’t stop and ripped Smith-Schuster’s helmet off.

After the incident, Smith-Schuster was asked what had caused Branch to react that way.  “I mean, me just blocking him.”  Smith-Schuster replied. “I’m just doing my job. I play between the whistles.”

Even Branch mentioned the same in-game incident. He said he was blocked by Smith-Schuster with a few minutes left in the game. What surprised Branch more was that this block was committed in front of the referees, and they didn’t do anything about it.

“I could’ve got hurt off of that play,” Branch said. But he isn’t proud of what he did with JuJu Smith-Schuster after the game as he added, “I still shouldn’t have done that.”

Even Lions coach Dan Campbell doubled down. “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.”

Campbell even mentioned that he approached Chiefs’ coach Andy Reid, Smith-Schuster, and other team members and apologized. Although Campbell knows Branch was wrong, it’s not something new for the aggressive Lions’ safety, Branch.

Brian Branch has had a history of fights in the NFL

Well, what happened after the game might have looked surprising to many, but looking at Branch’s report card, it’s not something out of the blue. In the current NFL season, Branch has already been involved in fights on three different instances.

As of now, Branch’s total fine amount has surged to $34,784 for the 2025 season only. This started in Week 1, when he was fined for an unsportsmanlike conduct infraction and unnecessary roughness violations against the Green Bay Packers. Then, in Week 3, Branch was fined for another unnecessary roughness violation against the Baltimore Ravens for a low block.

Branch has carried this legacy of getting into fights and then being fined since the last season, when he was fined 7 times in total. One of those seven incidents involved the Green Bay Packers, when he was fined $20,256 for a helmet-to-helmet hit.

Apart from analyzing how the team lost its momentum against the Chiefs, Lions management must devise a strategy to keep Branch calm. Otherwise, things could escalate further and worsen for both Branch and the team.