Following his post-game scuffle with Kansas City Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, Brian Branch was dealt a one-game suspension. The Detroit Lions’ Safety subsequently appealed the NFL’s ruling, citing a missed block in the back penalty, as well as a variety of extracurricular activities from Schuster, as the primary causes for the altercation.
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Nevertheless, the league decided to uphold its ruling, and as a result, Branch will no longer be available for the Lions’ Monday night match-up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. According to Cam Newton, however, Branch ultimately did the right thing, and his actions may dissuade the Chiefs receiver from pulling such stunts in the future.
“There’s some real individuals that really want to see about ya,” Newton remarked. “Brian Branch stood on business just like Trent Williams stood on business.”
Between the harshness of Schuster’s foul and the fact that it was not recognized by the officials, Branch felt the need to take matters into his own hands. While that kind of behavior is typically frowned upon, especially in today’s NFL, Branch ultimately suggested that he felt the need to stand up for himself after everyone around him had failed to do so.
“I got blocked in the back illegally,” Branch explained in the locker room following the skirmish. “They were trying to bully me out there. It was in front of the ref and the ref didn’t do anything. I could’ve gotten hurt off of that, but I still shouldn’t have done that.”
Newton also speculates that there was likely more than just the flagrant push in the back that sent Branch over the edge. “Knowing what I know, it was something that was said.” Given Schuster’s reputation for being a vocal between the whistles, it’s hard to say that he’s wrong for doing so.
Regardless of who is in the right and who is in the wrong, the fact of the matter is that the Lions will now be short an extra man heading into Week 7. Suffice to say, that could prove to be a bit of a problem against a Buccaneers team that, while injured, is still scoring at the sixth-highest rate of any team in the league.
Detroit’s defense isn’t inherently stingy either, so they’ll need someone to step up in light of Branch’s absence. However, seeing as he’s already recorded 23 solo tackles, a sack, one fumble recovery, and five pass defenses throughout the first six weeks, it’s not very likely that the Lions will be able to find someone who can match Branch’s level of production.
Thankfully, their offense is good enough to outduel anybody, and that includes the MVP dark horse in Baker Mayfield.
