Detroit vs. Everybody Energy: Brian Branch Edition

I’m gonna keep it a buck — yeah, Brian Branch probably shouldn’t have laid hands on JuJu Smith-Schuster after that 30-17 loss to the Chiefs.

It wasn’t smart. It wasn’t clean. It wasn’t “Dan Campbell approved.”

But am I mad at him? Not even a little bit.

Because if we’re being real, that whole sequence at Arrowhead had “stop playin’ with me” energy written all over it.

The NFL came down with the hammer quick — a one-game suspension without pay.

The league called it “an aggressive, non-football act,” and said it “posed a serious risk of injury.”

Vice president of football ops Jon Runyan even hit him with the “your conduct reflected poorly on the NFL” line in his letter.

Cool story, Jon. But let’s not act like this man didn’t get poked all night.

If you actually watched the game, you know Branch wasn’t out there trying to be WWE.

He got blindsided late in the fourth quarter — a cheap shot block from one of Kansas City’s players.

Then the Chiefs tried to get slick with it postgame.

You could see it on camera — Pat Mahomes went in for a handshake, Branch wasn’t feeling it, and Mahomes tried to force it.

That’s already awkward.

Then here comes JuJu Smith-Schuster, running his mouth, poking the bear.

So yeah, Branch swung. And yeah, he connected.

Let’s call it what it is — that wasn’t about football, that was about pride.

These guys are competitors. You can only poke a man so many times before he reminds you he’s not the one to play with.

Dan Campbell called it “inexcusable.” The league called it “unsportsmanlike.”

I call it human.

Branch didn’t stomp a logo. He didn’t hit a ref. He didn’t go after a fan.

He reacted to being disrespected, and while he’s gotta hold himself accountable, I understand exactly why it went down that way.

Brian Branch is one of those players who plays like he’s got something to prove every snap.

That’s Detroit football. Grit. Emotion. Passion.

You can’t coach that out of a man — and you shouldn’t want to.

One-game suspension? Fine. Lesson learned?

Probably.

But let’s not twist it; this wasn’t about violence.

It was about respect.

And if you’re watching the same Lions team I am, you know that mindset is exactly why nobody wants to see them in December.

Don’t play with him.