Last Sunday’s postgame hubbub was sparked by Lions safety Brian Branch hitting Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in the facemask. Branch later explained that he was upset by an uncalled block behind Smith-Schuster’s back.
Smith-Schuster was not fined for this piece.
“I got stuck in the back illegally” Branch said at the time. “It was in front of the ref, the ref didn’t do anything. Stuff like that. I could have gotten hurt because of that. But I still shouldn’t have done that.
Regular blocks in the back are rarely, if ever, fined. It would have to reach the level of unnecessary roughness. In theory, the league office could have concluded that Smith-Schuster committed a roughness foul, even if it was not called during the game.
No Chiefs were fined for in-game infractions. Two Lions were fined for unnecessary roughness: linebacker Alex Anzalone ($12,172) and defensive lineman Tyler Lacy ($5,722). Neither were penalized at the time the offense occurred.
