A mass brawl broke out between the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions after the NFL game at Arrowhead Stadium was wrapped up and punches were thrown
A huge scuffle erupted between the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions as their NFL clash at Arrowhead Stadium drew to a close.
The Chiefs had put in a solid display on both sides of the ball to secure a convincing 30-17 triumph over the Lions, but the contest finished on an ugly note. The fracas appeared to kick off moments after the Chiefs had sealed their victory.
Lions safety Brian Branch, clearly wound up by Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, snubbed Kareem Hunt and Patrick Mahomes despite their attempts to offer a handshake.
When Smith-Schuster offered his hand in a gesture of good sportsmanship, Branch smacked the Chiefs player on the helmet, sending him tumbling to the ground.
The receiver hit back with venom; he sprinted back towards Branch, who was being escorted away by Hunt, and struck him in return.
Branch then grabbed Smith-Schuster by the facemask and threw the receiver back down onto the grass, only to tumble himself as Trent McDuffie and Mahomes desperately attempted to pull the pair apart.
The melee spilled across the field as players from both the Chiefs and Lions rushed in to try and restore order, reports the Express.
Whilst Mike Tirico branded the incident a “pretty significant brawl,” NBC pundit Cris Collinsworth observed: “Brian Branch was involved in something, there was a little exchange and people came running…the league’s going to take action on that one, against Branch.”
The confrontation saw both teams’ entire rosters get dragged into unsavoury scenes that marred the Chiefs’ triumph.
Smith-Schuster was spotted with a towel pressed against his nose as he made his way to the dressing room, suggesting he may have come off worse than Branch in the altercation.
Mahomes told NBC: “We play the game in between the whistles. They can do all the extracurricular stuff they want to do, but we play the game in between the whistles. We thought we played a great game today and we’ll keep this momentum moving forward.”
The Chiefs secured the win thanks to a brilliant performance from Mahomes, who sliced through Detroit’s defence with ease, completing 22 of 30 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns.
He found Hollywood Brown twice in the end zone during the match. Detroit, meanwhile, endured a crushing loss.
Their defensive unit failed to assert themselves with calls going against them, whilst Amon-Ra St. Brown was kept quiet throughout.
The Chiefs, now standing at 3-3, will take on the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday. Detroit will face Baker Mayfield’s high-flying Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following day.