Watch: Mahomes dominates Lions, but post-game punch sparks chaos!
The Kansas City Chiefs secured a dominant 30-17 victory over the Detroit Lions, led by an exceptional performance from Patrick Mahomes who tallied 257 yards and three passing touchdowns, plus one on the ground. However, the game ended in chaos when Lions safety Brian Branch snubbed Mahomes' high-five attempt and then landed a punch on Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, igniting a bench-clearing brawl.
The Kansas City Chiefs delivered a near-perfect performance on Sunday night, beating the Detroit Lions 30-17 to snap Detroit's four-game winning streak. The contest, however, dissolved into an ugly post-game skirmish that overshadowed Patrick Mahomes's masterful night.
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Mahomes was in supreme form, guiding the Chiefs (3-3) to a flawless game—zero penalties and zero turnovers—a week after a sloppy loss to Jacksonville. He threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns and added another score with his legs. Wide receivers Marquise Brown (two TDs) and Xavier Worthy (one TD) were the beneficiaries of his passing attack.
A fight broke out at the end of the Lions-Chiefs game.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) October 13, 2025
The events that led to it:
◽️ Brian Branch refused to shake hands with Patrick Mahomes
◽️ JuJu Smith-Schuster confronted Branch
◽️ Branch slapped Smith-Schuster
🎥 @SNFonNBC | H/T @Rate_the_Refs pic.twitter.com/Ki4xjhHOMD
Final whistle chaos
The game’s intensity boiled over immediately after the clock hit zero. When Mahomes approached Lions safety Brian Branch for a post-game high-five, Branch pointedly walked right past him. Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster took offense and confronted the safety, leading to Branch throwing a punch that started a brief melee on the field. Coaches and players from both teams had to rush in to separate the combatants.
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Branch later expressed his frustration, claiming he was being "bullied" during play and that Smith-Schuster had hit him earlier in the game. "I did a little childish thing, but I'm tired of people doing stuff in between the play and refs don't catch it," he admitted. "I shouldn't have done it. It was childish."
Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell immediately condemned his player’s actions. "I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable. It's not going to be accepted here... I apologize to Coach [Andy] Reid and the Chiefs and [Juju Smith] Schuster. That's not okay."
Mahomes, meanwhile, downplayed the incident, simply stating: "It is what it is. You just kind of move on. We won the football game."
Chiefs offense finds its mojo
Kansas City’s defense did an impressive job of holding the NFL's highest-scoring offense in check. Lions quarterback Jared Goff finished with 203 yards, while star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was limited to just 45 yards.
After a long opening drive by Detroit that ended in a frustrating field goal (due to an illegal motion penalty that negated a touchdown), the Chiefs quickly answered. Mahomes led an 8-play, 70-yard drive, culminating in Worthy's 6-yard touchdown catch.
The turning point came in the second half. The Chiefs' offense, which will be bolstered by the return of suspended receiver Rashee Rice next week, roared downfield on their opening drive, with Brown hauling in a touchdown catch. They continued to score, with Brown grabbing his second touchdown later in the quarter, securing a 27-17 lead and putting the game out of reach for a banged-up Lions secondary.
