By Alex Valdes, Jesse Newell and Colton Pouncy
The Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs fought hard Sunday night. Even after the final whistle.
Several players from both teams scuffled on the field following the Chiefs’ 30-17 victory, and even superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes got caught up in the melee.
Detroit defensive back Brian Branch started it off by shoving the helmeted head of Kansas City wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. A few moments earlier, Branch had ignored a Mahomes handshake as both teams filed onto the field, as is usual after NFL games.
As it appeared on the NBC broadcast, Smith-Schuster said something to Branch, prompting Branch to shove Smith-Schuster’s head. Smith-Schuster fell to the ground, then went after Branch, with Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco trying to hold Branch back.
Things then got uglier, with Smith-Schuster, Pacheco, Branch and other players mixing it up. Mahomes — certainly giving Chiefs fans a fright — ran over to the scrum and wound up under a pile of players before being pulled to safety.
After the game, Mahomes appeared to take a not-so-subtle jab at the Lions’ antics.
“We play the game in between the whistles,” the three-time Super Bowl champion said. “They can do all the extracurricular stuff they want to do, but we play the game in between the whistles, and I thought we played a great game today. We’ll keep this momentum moving forward.
“I thought the guys executed at a high level. The guys played hard today. We handled business, which is what we had to do here at Arrowhead.
Lions coach Dan Campbell also weighed in after the brawl, saying, “Lemme start with this: I love Brian Branch, but what he did was inexcusable. And it’s not gonna be accepted here. It’s not what we do, it’s not what we do, it’s not what we’re about.”
JuJu Smith-Schuster took a punch from Lions safety Brian Branch at the end of the #Chiefs 30-17 win….holding a towel to his nose on his way to the lockerroom. pic.twitter.com/FL47w3lhS7
— Sports Radio 810 WHB (@SportsRadio810) October 13, 2025
After the brawl, Smith-Schuster appeared to have a bloody nose, but it was unclear when and how that injury occurred.
Branch got into some trouble earlier, this season, chucking Tucker Kraft’s helmet in a Week 1 game against the Green Bay Packers.
