Arrowheadlines: Brian Branch suspended for clash with JuJu Smith-Schuster

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Lions’ Brian Branch suspended 1 game after melee with Chiefs | ESPN

The NFL on Monday suspended Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch for one game without pay for unsportsmanlike conduct after he struck Kansas

City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and set off a brief fight Sunday night.

“Your aggressive, non-football act was entirely unwarranted, posed a serious risk of injury, and clearly violated the standards of conduct and sportsmanship expected of NFL players,” NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan wrote in a letter to Branch. “Your conduct reflected poorly on the NFL and has no place in our game.”

Branch plans to appeal the suspension, a source confirmed to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The appeal would be heard by a hearing officer jointly appointed by the NFL and the NFL Players Association.

Branch is set to miss the Lions’ game next Monday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and will be eligible to return to the active roster the following day.

NFL Week 6 grades: Bills get ‘C-‘ after shocking loss to Falcons on ‘Monday Night Football’ | CBS Sports

A – Chiefs

The Chiefs looked beatable through the first few weeks of the season, but they made a statement on Sunday night and that statement is that they’re still one of the best teams in the NFL. This a dominant performance, especially by a Chiefs offense that only punted once in the game. Patrick Mahomes had his way with the Lions defense, totaling 289 yards and four touchdowns. Travis Kelce had his biggest game of the season for a Chiefs offense that has now scored at least 28 points in four straight games for the first time in three years. The biggest surprise here was the way the Chiefs defense manhandled the Lions, holding them to just 112 yards in the second half. The Chiefs will now be getting Rashee Rice back in Week 7 and a team that some left for dead after their 0-2 start once again feels like one of the favorites in the AFC.

The Winners and Losers of the NFL Week 6 | The Ringer

Winner: Andy Reid’s Game Plan

With a 30-17 win over the Lions on Sunday night, the Chiefs have scored at least 28 points in each of their last three games. That’s a benchmark Kansas City hit only four times during the 2024 regular season and only three times in 2023. Even if we’re not witnessing a full-on revival of the Chiefs offense that tore through the league from 2018 to 2022, it does feel fun again. The win also pulled Kansas City back to .500 after an 0-2 start had idiots like me ready to bury them in September.

Patrick Mahomes, who was brilliant once again, deserves most of the credit for the turnaround, but we also can’t ignore what Andy Reid is doing with the offensive scheme. The 67-year-old coach has made some key changes to the offense, including calling for more under-center formations with bigger personnel on the field. Reid especially deviated from his typical approach against the Lions, putting Mahomes in shotgun on a season-low 66.1 percent of the snaps and playing 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three wide receivers) on a season-low 33.9 percent of plays. The changes seemed to catch Detroit off guard, and the Chiefs were particularly effective when using the under-center run game, which produced 58 yards on a season-high 12 attempts. In response to the Chiefs’ success on the ground, the Lions had no choice but to put bigger defenders on the field, and Mahomes in turn found ways to attack Detroit’s linebackers by exploiting a variety of mismatches in the pass game. Per Next Gen Stats, the Chiefs quarterback completed 13-of-17 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown when targeting Lions linebackers in coverage. It was a great plan by Reid, and Mahomes executed it to perfection.

How rare was the Chiefs’ penalty-free game against the Lions? | The Athletic

The Chiefs became the first team since 1972 to have zero accepted penalties, zero turnovers and no more than one punt in a game, according to NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” broadcast. On paper, it was one of the cleanest games in NFL history.

Unlike the efficiency on offense, the penalties are not entirely in the control of the teams playing. Though players can do their part in not committing a penalty, an official’s judgment is very much part of the equation. It’s not uncommon for referees to miss calls or inadvertently call a penalty when there may not have been anything illegal.

Around the NFL

Eagles pass rusher Za’Darius Smith announces retirement midway through 11th NFL season | NFL.com

Za’Darius Smith joined the Philadelphia Eagles one week into their Super Bowl title defense and has produced 1.5 sacks in his role as a rotational veteran pass rusher.

But after five games into his 11th NFL season, the 33-year-old announced his retirement on social media Monday morning

“This game has given me the opportunity to meet great coaches, compete alongside some of the best players ever, and represent some of the greatest organizations in the league,” Smith wrote. “Football has transformed my life and my family’s lives forever — and for that, I’m forever grateful.”

Michael Penix Jr.: Win over Bills shows Falcons are ‘legit’ | ESPN

Penix, along with incredible performances by running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Drake London, led the Falcons to a 24-14 win over the Buffalo Bills at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Penix was 20-of-32 for 250 yards and a touchdown. Robinson had an 81-yard touchdown run as part of 238 scrimmage yards, the second-highest single-game total this season in the NFL. London had 10 catches for 158 yards and a touchdown.

The Falcons are now 3-2, with the three victories over teams that were in the playoffs last season: the Bills, Washington Commanders and Minnesota Vikings.

“It showed that we’re one of the ones,” Penix said of Monday’s win. “This team is really good. This team is really legit.”

Bears-Commanders on Monday night: What We Learned from Chicago’s 25-24 win over Washington | NFL.com

Bears battle back for another thrilling win. Chicago is making a habit of these finishes lately. The Bears’ last game ended on a blocked field goal that sealed a comeback victory powered by a courageous Caleb Williams-led drive in Las Vegas. In similar fashion on Monday night in a rainy Landover, Maryland, Williams and the Bears won the four-quarter war by capitalizing on an opponent’s mistake and cashing in with a measured, productive drive to set up Jake Moody‘s game-winning field goal. Over four quarters, it wasn’t exactly pretty, but every win doesn’t need to be for a team attempting to turn a corner. If we’ve learned one truth over the last two games for these Bears, it’s this: They’re tough and won’t go down without a 60-minute fight.

Titans firing Brian Callahan continues worrying rookie QB trend | SB Nation

The Tennessee Titans made it official on Monday. After weeks of speculation, the Titans dismissed second-year head coach Brian Callahan. Hired by the Titans after four seasons as an offensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals, Callahan finished with a 4-19 record over his time in Nashville.

His firing also continues a rough trend for rookie quarterbacks who went first overall in their draft class.

The Titans owned the first-overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft and selected Cam Ward out of Miami. Just six games into his rookie season, Ward is now faced with adjusting to a new head coach.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs Roster: 9 winners, 1 loser from Week 6 win over Lions

Wide receivers Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster: Combined, these two caught all seven targets for 102 yards and two scores. Neither is likely to be the team’s No. 1 receiver any time soon — in fact, with Rashee Rice returning next week, their opportunities may shrink — but on this night, they made big plays. Brown had a 20-yard catch and Smith-Schuster grabbed a 30-yarder. Both served as efficient, reliable targets for quarterback Patrick Mahomes — especially when he was improvising.

Defensive tackle Chris Jones: His statistics weren’t gaudy, but don’t be fooled: Jones is still changing games. Whether he reaches the quarterback or not, his pressure and chaos were evident on nearly every big defensive stop. Jones has that rare ability to beat an interior lineman cleanly and force a hurried throw that ends a drive.

Left tackle Jaylon Moore: Before examining advanced stats and coaches’ film, it looks like Moore’s debut went very well. He showed strength in run blocking, mobility getting downfield and pushing elite pass rushers wide around the pocket. It might have been one of the best days of his life. Early on Sunday morning, he welcomed his third child before earning his first Kansas City start. It was encouraging to see the Chiefs’ offensive line depth shine when Josh Simmons — its fantastic rookie starter — had to miss the game.