JuJu Smith-Schuster Faces Potential Fine for Illegal Block in Chiefs-Lions Brawl
The defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs evened their record at 3-3 Sunday night with a convincing, 30-17 win over the Detroit Lions, who came into the nationally televised inter-conference showdown with a 4-1 record, and a 19-3 record in regular season games going back to the start of last year.
But what should have been the high point of the season for the Chiefs turned into a ugly morass as a fight broke out on the field as the game concluded.
The NFL is currently reviewing the brawl, and “determinations on discipline (will be) made from there,” according to a report Monday morning by longtime ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.
The Lions’ Brian Branch can expect a substantial fine for what appeared to be a punch to the face of Chiefs‘ wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. The NFL collective bargaining agreement sets the first-offense fine for fighting at $40,686.
Smith-Schuster Illegal Block Caught on Video
But Smith-Schuster himself may also face a fine for the actions that Branch in a postgame interview claimed led him to launch his post-whistle attack on the
“I got blocked in the back illegally. It was in front of the ref and the ref didn’t do anything. And stuff like that. I could have got hurt off of that play,” Branch said after the game, though he added that he “still shouldn’t have done that,” referring to the swing he later took at Smith-Schuster.
The refs made no call on the play — in fact, the officiating crew did not call a single penalty on the Chiefs throughout the entire game. The Lions were flagged four times for 38 yards.
Fine Would be Second For Chiefs WR
But for the NFL to impose fines or other punishment, the league operations office specifies, a play does not need to draw a flag in real time.
“The league may respond to an official’s call during a game or to a specific play that a team submits for review. The NFL Officiating Department also reviews every play from every game and refers potential violations to the Football Operations compliance team,” according to the operations office. “League staff members examine the plays identified as having potential infractions to determine whether there is cause for additional review.”
If league staff reviews Smith-Schuster’s hit on Branch and determines that it was illegal, as appears likely from the publicly available video, the 28-year-old 2017 second-round draft pick could be assessed a fine of $17,389, the standard penalty for illegal blocks.
However, Smith-Schuster has already been fined for an illegal block this season.
In Week 4, a Monday Night game against the Baltimore Ravens, league officials determined that the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Smith-Schuster had thrown a low block on a play toward the end of the second quarter — a violation that, like Sunday night’s illegal block on Branch, was not flagged by game officials.
He was assessed a $7,903 fine. If the league counts that infraction as a “first offense” against Sunday night’s block-in-the-back, Smith-Schuster’s fine this week could hit $23,186.
As for Branch, whatever punishment he receives for striking Smith-Schuster in the face will be his fourth fine of the season, making the Lions’ safety the most frequently fined player in the NFL over the first six weeks of the season.
Steelers’ Mike Tomlin Rips Browns for Helping Division Rival with Joe Flacco Trade
Head coach Mike Tomlin isn’t usually one to engage in trash talk. But with the Pittsburgh Steelers playing a pair of AFC North rivals in the span of five days this week, Tomlin took an opportunity to rip into one of those rivals for helping the other.
While sharing his reaction to the Cleveland Browns trading quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals, Tomlin didn’t hold back in front of reporters Monday.
“To be honest, it was shocking to me,” Tomlin told the media. “[Browns general manager] Andrew Berry must be a lot smarter than me or us because it doesn’t make sense to me to trade a quarterback that you think enough of to make your opening day starter to a division opponent that’s hurting in that area.
“But that’s just my personal feelings.”
The Browns traded Flacco to the Bengals last Tuesday in a draft pick exchange. Cleveland received an extra fifth-round pick in 2026 with the deal while the Bengals received a sixth-rounder in return.
Tomlin added the trade made all the sense in the world to the Bengals.
“It certainly made sense from Cincinnati’s perspective,” Tomlin said while chuckling a little.
Flacco started for the Bengals in Week 6 days after getting traded to Cincinnati. The former Super Bowl MVP replaced Jake Browning behind center for the Bengals.
The Steelers defeated the Browns, who have turned to rookie Dillon Gabriel at quarterback, 23-9 on Sunday. The Steelers will visit Flacco and the Bengals on Thursday.
