Dan Campbell called it "inexcusable." He had every right to feel frustrated, as Brian Branch's needless outburst following Sunday Night Football has left the Detroit Lions stumbling to pick up the pieces.
Branch refused a handshake from Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes before swinging at wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. It created an ugly postgame fight that ruined a hard-fought battle between two heavyweight teams that, for the most part, was played in good spirits.
Unsurprisingly, the NFL has slapped Branch with a suspension. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Branch will miss one game, but it's a big one.
Brian Branch's one-game suspension leaves Lions secondary in tatters ahead of Buccaneers visit
The timing couldn't be any worse. Detroit didn't just lose the game on Sunday night, but must now face a crucial NFC showdown without its star safety.
Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming to town for Monday Night Football in Week 7. Mayfield is the MVP frontrunner after guiding his Bucs to a 5-1 start, sitting in pole position in the NFC.
He has thrown for 1,539 yards, 12 touchdowns, and just one interception for a 108.5 rating, while adding another 158 yards on the ground. Mayfield has somehow acquired Tom Brady's ability to make clutch plays and Super Mario's invincibility anytime he takes off to run. It doesn't matter how many yards he needs or how many defenders stand in his way — Super Mayfield is picking up a first down.
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Mayfield is playing the best football of his career, and he can now tee off against a depleted Lions secondary. Let's not forget that Mayfield's Bucs handed the Lions one of their two defeats last season — at Ford Field, no less.
The Lions are without several key starters in the secondary, including cornerback Terrion Arnold.
They need their two all-world safeties, Branch and Kerby Joseph, to fill the void. They, too, played through injuries in Week 6, but now Branch has taken himself out of the equation with an unnecessary suspension.
The Lions could catch a break. Tampa Bay's wide receiver corps is dealing with its own injury crisis. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have missed time, and rookie sensation Emeka Egbuka left the Buccaneers' Week 6 win with a hamstring injury.
It might not matter. Mayfield has turned into Mahomes, and he will show no fear when taking shots downfield at the Lions' decimated defense.
Injuries happen. You can't do much to help that. But Branch's suspension stings more because it was so unnecessary. The Lions have the offensive firepower to match Mayfield's magic, but Branch's suspension has made the defensive mismatch all the more daunting.