Patrick Mahomes Calls Out Brian Branch, Lions After Postgame Brawl
safety Brian Branch got chippy with the Kansas City Chiefs following his team’s 13-point road loss, drawing the ire of superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes tried to shake Branch’s hand as the final seconds ran off the clock, a gesture that Branch brushed off. Kansas City wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster called Branch out, at which point Branch struck the wideout in the face and knocked him to the ground.
A large brawl subsequently ensued, which included all three of the aforementioned players and spread to include several dozen more — to one degree or another.
Patrick Mahomes spoke on the fight that occurred at the end of Lions-Chiefs.
(📺 NBC)
Video of the incident circulated widely on social media. And shortly after the scrum subsided, Mahomes spoke about Branch’s actions while still standing on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
“I mean, 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 between the whistles.”
Brian Branch Could Face Fine, Suspension for Actions Against Chiefs on ‘Sunday Night Football’
GettyHead coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions speaks to safety Brian Branch after the game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The NFL has multiple avenues by which it could penalize Branch for his behavior Sunday night, and none of them are good for the player. And in fact, one might end up hugely detrimental to his team.
The league typically fines players more than $40,000 on a first offense for fighting, while a second offense carries a penalty of more than $80,000, according to NFL.com. The NFL has fined Branch at least 13 times since 2023 for a total amount of approximately $180,000, though it is unclear if any of those fines have come specifically for fighting.
A financial penalty would be the best possible outcome, as there is also precedent for the league to suspend a player for the sort of action Branch took against Smith-Schuster.
Defensive tackle Trysten Hill, then of the Dallas Cowboys, caught a two-game suspension for starting a fight with the Las Vegas Raiders after a Thanksgiving Day game in 2021.
“Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Trysten Hill has been suspended two games without pay by the NFL for his postgame punch in an altercation with Las Vegas Raiders offensive lineman John Simpson,” wrote Grant Gordon of NFL Network.
Lions cornerbacks D.J. Reed and Terrion Arnold are both out indefinitely with injuries, and Detroit must face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1) on next week’s edition of “Monday Night Football.” Playing that game without Branch will mean the Lions are going to be down three of their starters in the secondary from Week 1.
Brian Branch’s Strike Did Damage to JuJu Smith-Schuster’s Face, per Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid
GettyKansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
That Smith-Schuster sustained what may be a visible injury certainly isn’t going to help Branch’s case.
Andy Reid says there’s “pretty good damage on JuJu’s nose.”
Here he is walking up the tunnel holding a towel to his face right after the game.
@KCTV5
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said following the game that there was “pretty good damage on JuJu’s nose,” according to Marleah Campbell of KCTV5 in Kansas City.
If that damage is visible to the naked eye, that will only serve to worsen the optics of the situation. That, in turn, might potentially come into play when the NFL decides how to punish Branch for a sprawling and violent fight that “Sunday Night Football” broadcasted nationally.
Mike Tomlin Faces Ultimate Test As Steelers Struggle to Stay Relevant
The Pittsburgh Steelers have once again found themselves starting hot in a season and fading as the year progresses. The 2025 offseason was one of the most ambitious in recent franchise history, with Pittsburgh going all-in to acquire 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers in hopes of finally pushing the team back into true contender status. However, now sitting at 6-5, the Steelers have officially lost their lead in the AFC North, and what once looked like a promising campaign has quickly turned into a season that desperately needs saving.
With the year slipping away, conversations about longtime Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin have already begun to swirl. For years, many Steelers fans have believed there was no realistic scenario in which Tomlin would ever be fired. It’s been a longstanding debate within the national media that Tomlin is actually a great head coach, but many Steelers fans disagree and believe his message has grown stale. Most of those fans also don’t think Art Rooney II would ever fire Tomlin, no matter how frustrated the fanbase becomes.
However, NFL insider Albert Breer revealed on Wednesday that the Steelers are certainly open to having some brutal, uncomfortable discussions with Tomlin depending on how the 2025 season ends. It’s a rare acknowledgment from within league circles that even in a famously stable organization, patience may finally be wearing thin.
"I think it is gonna take having some real hard discussions on where they're at, on where Mike Tomlin's at, on how everyone feels about the position that they're in," Breer said on the
Sports Illustrated's YouTube channel after he was asked about Tomlin's future.
Of course, everything could still change. Tomlin has pulled off late-season turnarounds before, and a deep playoff run would erase much of the growing tension and immediately reshape public conversation.
However, until that happens, the reality remains: the Steelers have not won a playoff game since the 2016 season. For a franchise defined by excellence and postseason success, that drought looms larger than ever as Pittsburgh fights to salvage what was supposed to be its breakthrough year.
"There's no question that if Mike Tomlin became available, he would not last very long in the coaching market," Breer said. "Somebody would swoop in and snap him up. So this isn't about his value as a coach. It's about the situation that everybody's in."
Breer pointed out that Tomlin is still viewed around the league as an extremely exceptional head coach and leader capable of turning a franchise around. It seems similar to what Andy Reid had to go through with the Philadelphia Eagles, as sometimes a new face is needed.
Steelers May Finally Be Ready To Move On From Mike Tomlin
In Reid’s case, it ended up working out for both the Eagles and for him personally when he moved to the Kansas City Chiefs. All parties won Super Bowls and experienced many meaningful victories. That is the path many suggest Tomlin should consider, not just for the Steelers, but for himself.
Whatever has been tried so far has not worked in the minds of many fans. Still, in the NFL, it is never over, and Tomlin is not giving up. He is preparing to find a way to get his team to pull off an upset win in Week 13 at home against the Buffalo Bills. If Pittsburgh can sneak out of Acrisure Stadium with a win over Josh Allen, it would certainly change the outlook on the 2025 season. A loss, however, would continue this discussion and only amplify it.
