5:45pm: Branch is indeed appealing his one-game suspension, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. However, the NFL’s language in their letter informing Branch of his suspension makes it seem unlikely that he will succeed.
“Your aggressive, non-football act was entirely unwarranted, posed a serious risk of injury, and clearly violated the standards of conduct and sportsmanship expected of NFL players,” the statement read (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).
4:30pm: Brian Branch will be unavailable to the Lions in Week 7. The third-year safety was issued a one-game suspension on Monday, per a league announcement. 
After last night’s Lions-Chiefs game, Branch slapped Kansas City wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster (video link). A brief skirmish ensued, leading to the expectation supplemental discipline would be handed down. The NFL reviewed the incident and issued the ban.
Branch has already been fined 13 times in his career despite only playing 41 combined regular and postseason games to date. Given his history in that regard, issuing a suspension does not entirely come as a surprise from the league’s perspective. The 2023 Pro Bowler can appeal the ban; if he does so, one of the jointly-appointed hearing officers will oversee the matter.
When speaking to reporters Sunday night, Branch admitted he should not have initiated the altercation with Smith-Schuster but added he felt the Chiefs were attempting to “bully” him during the game (video link via ESPN’s Eric Woodyard). Head coach Dan Campbell termed Branch’s actions “inexcusable,” meaning team discipline of some kind may have been forthcoming anyway.
Regardless of what happens on that front, the Lions are now set to be without a critical member of their secondary pending a successful appeal. Branch has operated as a full-time defensive starter for most of his career, and the former second-rounder recorded 109 tackles in 2024 while adding double-digit pass deflections for the second year in a row. Branch had enjoyed a productive start to his season, but he will now miss the final game before Detroit’s bye week.
The Lions’ secondary is already shorthanded with D.J. Reed on injured reserve and fellow cornerback Terrion Arnold out of the lineup as well. Branch has experience as a slot corner but his ideal position is safety, where he has formed an effective tandem with Kerby Joseph (who has himself battled injuries as well despite playing every game this season).
Detroit’s loss last night dropped the team to 4-2 on the year. The team’s secondary will face a strong test against the Buccaneers in Week 7, but that unit will be without a key figure.
This is probably why Branch did it.
link to x.com
Yeah, juju should have received at least a fine for that. Coming up behind him, shoving him in the back like that is a player safety issue.
The NFL fined Peyton Hendershot playing for the chiefs for shoving Roquan Smith in the back after the play was over. Fined him like 5k and the chiefs 100k.
YES……poor loser, JuJu bullying him, Chiefs getting all the calls, g’me a break, Chiefs had 13 penalties last week 🤣it was a good game, good watch, Lions came out on the losing end
Branch really could have used some coaching from these guys…link to youtube.com
BTW……much respect to Dan Campbell, no nonsense no excuses
This is good by the league I think. Players making a habit of going after guys after the game when they’re trying to shake hands because they’re mad at something from the game is a recipe for someone to get very, very hurt. The game has injuries baked into it; once the game is over that risk needs to be over too, and I’d think most people would get that regardless of who they root for.
Hope that punch was worth him letting his shorthanded team down. Baker gonna cook next week with 3/4 of the lions starting secondary out.