Brian Branch Reveals What Really Caused Lions-Chiefs Fight

Based on the video replays, Branch went past Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was offering a postgame handshake. Instead, Branch headed straight to Smith-Schuster, who appears to have said something to infuriate the Lions DB.

Branch could not contain his emotions and decided to throw an open-handed strike to Smith-Schuster’s helmet. The Kansas City wideout retaliated, and the two players had to be separated by their teammates in what turned out to be a violent ending to a hard-fought game.

Branch spoke to reporters after the game and, unsurprisingly, the media had a lot of questions about the altercation. The Lions star apologized for what he labeled a “childish” act on his end. However, he also revealed what caused him to react the way he did.

“I got blocked in the back illegally,” he said. “It was in front of the ref, the ref didn’t do anything. … I could have got hurt off of that.

“But still, I still shouldn’t have done it.”

When asked if it was Smith-Schuster who hit him from behind, Branch said, “yes.”

The 23-year-old will likely face some sort of punishment from the league for his actions after Sunday’s game. However, when he was questioned by a reporter about what type of discipline he expects from the league, Branch did not have an answer.

“I don’t know, honestly,” he said.

This was a tough loss for the Lions, who entered this Week 6 showdown on the heels of four straight wins. That streak came to an end at the hands of the Chiefs as Detroit fell to 4-2 on the season.

The Lions will be on bye in Week 7. They return to action on Oct. 20 in a “Monday Night Football” matchup against Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.