KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Safety Brian Branch sparked a postgame brawl after the Detroit Lions lost to the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.
The Lions had an uncharacteristically mistake-prone game Sunday, between penalties, drops, and missed tackles. They ultimately fell to the Chiefs, 30-17, to snap their four-game winning streak and fall to 4-2.
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As the final seconds were ticking off the clock and the two teams were coming onto the field to shake hands, cameras showed an exchange between Branch and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
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Mahomes appeared to put up his arm to shake hands with Branch, who walked past him without reciprocating.
Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster saw what happened and approached Branch, who immediately hit or pushed Smith-Schuster hard in the face mask.
It’s unclear what, if anything, was said by Mahomes, Branch, or Smith-Schuster.
“We play the game in between the whistles,” Mahomes said. “They can do all the extra-curricular stuff they want to do, but we play the game in between the whistles.”
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The exchange brought dozens of players from both teams into the fray for some pushing and shoving.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Branch faces discipline from the league. With the Lions in the heart of their most difficult stretch and already without four of their top six cornerbacks, it would be awful timing to lose Branch from their secondary.
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