The Detroit Lions suffered a disappointing loss in Week 6, falling to the Kansas City Chiefs 30-17 on Sunday Night Football. While the loss, which dropped Detroit to 4-2 on the season, was disappointing enough, they may have lost more than just the game due to the actions of Brian Branch.
Branch sparked a brawl at the end of Sunday’s game after refusing to shake hands with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes following the game's final kneeldown. When JuJu Smith-Schuster confronted Branch regarding that interaction, Branch shoved Smith-Schuster in the face, which led the Chiefs receiver to retaliate, with both teams converging before leaving the field.
While it feels like it is just a skirmish between two teams that battled for 60 minutes, it could have major repercussions, and Branch’s latest actions may put the Lions' secondary in an even bigger bind than they were heading into Sunday’s game.
Branch’s Latest Incident Could Leave Lions' Secondary Shorthanded in Week 7
The Lions' secondary was one of the biggest questions going into Week 6 after Terrion Arnold was ruled out for the game. With DJ Reed already on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury, the Lions were rolling with Amik Robertson and Rock Ya-Sin in the starting lineup. Detroit was also dealing with Kerby Joseph’s knee injury, which had him questionable coming into the game and momentarily forced him into the blue tent during the second quarter before he returned to the field.
With two corners out and Joseph at less than 100%, Mahomes took advantage, throwing for 257 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those scores were in the direction of Robertson, and Ya-Sin wound up making his own highlight late in the game when he was run over by Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt as they looked to kill the clock.
This is evidence that the Lions’ secondary is not what it should be due to injury, and it may have been weakened even more as Branch let his emotions get the best of him. A suspension seems unlikely, but Branch is a frequent offender when it comes to the NFL’s disciplinary system, having been fined a total of 13 times since joining the league in 2023, including seven fines in 2024, according to Mike Payton of A to Z Sports.
If the league decides they need to send a message and suspend Branch, he could be taking a seat as the Lions welcome Baker Mayfield and Tampa Bay’s high-octane offense to Detroit for Monday Night Football in Week 7. If the NFL wants to take things a step further, a multi-game suspension could also leave the Lions without Branch when Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison come to town for an NFC North battle on Nov. 2. All of this has to be considered a possibility.
With every game meaning something in the air-tight NFC North, the Lions probably didn’t want to risk losing Branch along with their injured defensive backs. But after Sunday night’s incident, they’ll have to hold their breath and hope the long arm of the [NFL’s] law doesn't leave them further weakened in the secondary.