The Kansas City Chiefs secured a convincing 30-17 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday night, but the win was overshadowed by an ugly post-game incident that left wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster with what appeared to be a bloodied nose.
Former NFL star Antonio Brown made his presence felt on X, sharing behind-the-scenes footage of Chiefs players walking through the team tunnel, captioning it as: “The Aftermath 🤣.”
The Aftermath 🤣 pic.twitter.com/IvqBQ6tbde
— AB (@AB84) October 13, 2025
What was supposed to be a standard handshake time between two rival teams quickly turned wild at Arrowhead Stadium in the final seconds. As players from both teams were preparing to shake hands with the time expired, Lions safety Brian Branch sparked some conversation by hitting Smith-Schuster in the facemask. Smith-Schuster was leveled on the attempted hit but quickly jumped back up to confront Branch as players from both teams filled the space.
The altercation took several minutes for the officials and coaching staff to sort out. Smith-Schuster eventually left the field with a towel over his face. Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid gave an exact status of the blow when he met with reporters. Reid confirmed there was “pretty good damage” to his receiver’s nose.
Branch And Smith-Schuster Address The Postgame Altercation
In the aftermath, both players joined to speak about what happened and what they perceived from the incident. Branch accepted responsibility, calling the action “a little childish thing,” but offered context for his frustration. The Lions safety said he was tired of opponents taking liberties between plays without an official stepping in.
“I did a little childish thing,” Branch stated after the game.
“But I’m tired of people doing stuff in between the plays and the ref don’t catch it, trying to bully me out there. But I should’ve never did it. It was childish,” he further elaborated.
#Lions’ Brian Branch says he shouldn’t have been involved in the post-game skirmish but claims they were trying to “bully” him out there. “It was childish,” he said.
Branch says he was blocked in the back illegally at the end of the game in front of refs and grew frustrated. pic.twitter.com/yV6CYcM6hl
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) October 13, 2025
Smith-Schuster was more tempered in his comments though, referring to making “a good block” while suggesting Branch’s response occurred after the game had already ended. Instead, he kept his focus on the overall team victory and not losing his temper over the scuffle.
“I made a good block,” Smith said referencing the game .
“He obviously responded after the game. At the end of the day, it’s about the team win,” he further explained.
Branch is certain to face discipline as the NFL investigates this matter and his lengthy list of violations will only add to his worries as he has already been fined thrice in 2025 after being fined seven times last season.
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