How JuJu Smith-Schuster started a fight Brian Branch and the Lions ended

The Detroit Lions lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night. A good chunk of Detroit's defense was out due to injury, but should be healthy for a midseason run. The defensive line and secondary in particular were short a couple key players, which left the likes of Brian Branch having to cover for their inefficiencies. Postgame, Branch took out his frustration on the Chiefs – he snubbed a handshake from Patrick Mahomes and made his way right to JuJu Smith-Schuster, who he tried to fight.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell called Branch out postgame, saying that while he appreciates his passion, that's not how Detroit should handle things.

"Let me start with this," Campbell said. "I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable and it's not going to be accepted here. It's not what we do, it's not what we're about. I apologized to coach [Andy] Reid and the Chiefs and Schuster. That's not OK. That's not what we do here, and it's not gonna be OK. He knows it, our team knows it. That's not what we do."

How JuJu Smith-Schuster started the drama with Brian Branch

Branch apologized for his actions postgame, presumably after Campbell talked to him in the locker room. When asked why he felt the need to approach Smith-Schuster in particular, he blamed a blindside block that wasn't called on KC. In fact, the Chiefs weren't called for any penalties on Sunday night.

"I got blocked in the back illegally," Branch said. "And it was in front of the ref and the ref didn't do anything. And just stuff like that. I coulda got hurt off a that, but I still should not have done that."

So yes, Smith-Schuster did start the drama with Branch by blocking him in the back illegally. It was a borderline dirty play, and Branch had every right to be upset. However, the second that play ended without a call...it was over. Branch carried that anger with him until the end of the game, when he unleashed upon Smith-Schuster after the officials had left the field.

Officials left the field because, well, it's within their right. Once the game ends, it is not in the refs' best interest to get involved in a postgame brawl. These players are twice the size of officials, and there's little they could do in such chaos to stop it. What good does throwing a flag do once the game is over? As Football Zebras put it, officials aren't responsible for dictating terms after the game. While they will submit details of any extracurriculars in their postgame report, they themselves aren't expected to deal with the issue.

Brian Branch suspended, but will his punishment hold up?

Rather than simply fining Branch, the NFL decided to suspend him for a game and dock him a full check. That was likely the right call, since Branch was solely responsible for a postgame moment neither the Chiefs nor Lions are proud of. Branch will appeal his suspension, but it would be rather surprising if the rules committee overturns their decision. If anything, there's an argument to be made that Branch got off too easy for addressing his concerns on the field with violence rather than with his words postgame, which likely would've resulted in a fine. FanSided's Austen Bundy noted this in his recent piece:

"Granted, this is the first time Branch has been suspended by the league but giving him the benefit of the doubt with just a single game sentence after this kind of incident sets a bad precedent for other young players with potential discipline issues," Bundy wrote. "What Branch did has not place in the NFL or football in general."

The NFL ought to keep Branch's suspension as is since he was a first-time offender. He has some gall to appeal it in the first place, and ought to consider himself lucky, even though his absence will hurt the Lions next week against the loaded Tampa Bay Buccaneers in primetime.