The Detroit Lions lost much more than just a game on Sunday night. Following their 30-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, safety Brian Branch threw a punch at wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster, and things almost get out of hand on the field.
As the aggressor, Branch is already facing a one-game suspension that he's already trying to appeal. Even though the league could flip its initial decision, head coach Dan Campbell is already preparing for Week 7 as if Branch isn't going to play.
Lions HC Dan Campbell Thinks Brian Branch Will Be Suspended
"Dan Campbell said he's operating under the mindset that Brian Branch will not play on Monday," MLive's Kory Woods reported on Tuesday. "Said that if Branch wins his appeal, it's a bonus. But they're preparing to play without him."
Coach Campbell was critical of his player's actions, but he still has his back. If anything, he believes Branch is going to learn from this experience, and while he should've known better, Campbell says it's not a reflection of who he is as a person:
“I saw him yesterday before (the suspension) came down, he knows all this,” Campbell told reporters, per Ben Raven of MLive.com. “He’ll learn from it. This was one instance of something that happens, it doesn’t matter what led to it. You can’t take out your aggression on somebody else. Can’t cross that line. He’s an outstanding young man. He’s got a great heart.”
The Lions will be under a lot of pressure to bounce back from one of their worst offensive performances of the year. That will be way easier said than done, as Todd Bowles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' solid defense will be in town on Monday night.
Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard's unit was already banged up and undermanned before losing another defensive back, and while the league has yet to make an official announcement regarding Branch's punishment, it's hard to envision any scenario in which he's not forced to miss a game.
At least, the visiting Bucks won't be at full strength, either. Star wide receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans will most likely miss another game, and star rookie Emeka Egbuka could also be on the shelf after leaving Week 6 with a hamstring injury.
Even so, with Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield playing out of his mind and as the primary MVP candidate, the Lions will have litle to no margin for error as they look to avoid suffering back-to-back losses. Whether or not Branch's potential absence will be felt or not remains to be seen.