The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face a tough Detroit Lions team on Monday Night Football in an effort to move to 6-1 and take an even more commanding lead over the NFC, and that mission got a tad easier on Monday.
The Detroit Lions already have a banged up secondary, and now they’ll be without another player in defensive back Brian Branch. Branch started a brawl after the Lions lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6, and now, the NFL has suspended him for one game — the Lions’ game against the Buccaneers.
Detroit Lions defensive back Brian Branch has been suspended without pay for one game for unsportsmanlike conduct following Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 13, 2025
Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch (32) and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster (9) get into a fight after the game / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
The Buccaneers are already without a few wide receiving weapons, missing Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin for sure against the Lions. With Branch out, there’s one less Lions defensive back to contend with, and that will allow Tampa Bay’s offense to game plan with one less playmaker on the field.
Branch has played well this year, netting 23 combined tackles, but he’ll be suspended after violently swinging on Chiefs wideout Juju Smith-Schuster and then getting into a brawl with the Chiefs after the game ended. Branch called his actions “childish,” but pointed to a blindside block he received from Smith-Schuster as the catalyst for the brawl.
The Lions are already down cornerbacks D.J. Reed (hamstring), Terrion Arnold (hamstring) and Avonte Maddox (hamstring). With Branch suspended, the Lions could look to strong safety Thomas Harper to play in his stead.
Baker Mayfield and company shredded the San Francisco 49ers’ defense on Sunday, with Mayfield completing 73.9% of his passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns on the day. With Branch out and Mike Evans back in the picture, the Bucs could be primed to take advantage of a hobbled Detroit secondary when they travel to Michigan to play the Lions on Monday Night Football at 7 p.m.
READ MORE: Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield receives NSFW message from NBA superstar
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