KANSAS CITY, Mo. – It was over…and then it wasn’t.

Branch, the Detroit Lions safety, wanted payback after he felt the Kansas City Chiefs receiver blasted him with an illegal block in the back that went uncalled. He connected with a blow that landed under the facemask and left Smith-Shuster bleeding from a gash on his nose.

“I did a little childish thing,” Branch told USA TODAY Sports after the Chiefs snapped Detroit’s four-game winning streak with a 30-17 decision. “But I’m tired of people doing stuff in between the plays and the ref don’t catch it, trying to bully me out there.

“But I should’ve never did it. It was childish.”

The blow set off a tense postgame scene as several players from both teams entered the fray before order was quickly restored.

Who knew that NBC’s ‘Sunday Night Football’ would come with a layer of ‘Fight Night’? OK, thankfully it wasn’t an all-out brawl. 

But the score is hardly settled. Branch will undoubtedly face discipline as the NFL reviews the incident. And his record of violations won’t help. Branch, one of the league’s best safeties, has already been fined three times in 2025 after being fined seven times last season.

Told of the contrition that Branch expressed in the visitor’s locker room, Smith-Schuster defended his actions during the game.

“I made a good block,” Smith-Schuster told USA TODAY Sports. “He obviously responded after the game. At the end of the day, it’s about the team win.”

Branch’s temper seemed poised to flare after he refused to shake Patrick Mahomes’ hand after the final play, which is a typical sportsmanship gesture at the end of games. As Mahomes extended his hand, Branch blew him off. It appeared that Smith-Schuster noticed the snub and made a taunting gesture.

Then came the strike, as Branch made a beeline toward Smith-Schuster. Then the Chiefs receiver went after Branch, who was restrained by running back Isiah Pacheco. Several bodies hit the turf as tempers boiled.

In any event, Branch drew the ire of Lions coach Dan Campbell, which is probably a harbinger of the message coming from the league office.

“I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable and it’s not going to be accepted here,” Campbell said as he opened his postgame news conference. “It’s not what we do. It’s not what we’re about.”

Campbell said he apologized to Chiefs coach Andy Reid and to Smith-Schuster.

“That’s tough,” Reid said. “But pretty good damage to JuJu’s nose.”

Branch, in the end, also expressed regret.

“I got blocked in the back illegally,” he said. “It was in front of the ref and the ref didn’t do anything. Just stuff like that. I could’ve gotten hurt off that. I still shouldn’t have done that.”

Asked if he felt the Chiefs tried rubbing it in, Branch added, “It was a lot of stuff. But I should’ve shown it between the whistles. Not after the game. I apologized for that.”

Smith-Schuster, an eighth-year veteran, acknowledged that there was “chatter” with Branch during the game, but he didn’t consider it unusual. He said that Sunday marked the first time in his career that an opponent ever threw a punch at him.

“I feel like I’m a good guy,” he said.

Smith-Schuster caught three passes for 57 yards and had the game’s longest play from scrimmage with a 30-yard catch-and-run.

“At the end of the game,” he added, “I expected to shake his hand and say, ‘Good game.’ But he thew a punch.”

He chalked up Branch’s reaction was frustration with the game’s outcome, rather than a personal issue. That might be debatable, but that’s the receiver’s view of the matter.

“Me, just blocking him, I was just doing my job,” Smith-Schuster said. “I play between the whistles and after the game, he took advantage (with) what he did.”

Of course, Smith-Schuster didn’t mind expressing a parting shot…or a nod to the respect that he has for one of Detroit’s top players.

“I know he’s a better player than that, a better person,” he said. “He’ll learn from his mistakes.”

After falling short of winning its fourth national championship, South Carolina women’s basketball team is once again expected to be a championship contender, but they will be without a veteran presence.

Senior forward Chloe Kitts has been ruled out for the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season due to an ACL tear in her right knee. Kitts, the 2025 SEC Tournament MVP, averaged 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game last season for South Carolina, shooting 52% from the field.

“We hate this first for Chloe, who has worked incredibly hard to become the best version of herself on the court this season,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said in a statement. Kitts’ former Gamecocks teammate Te-Hina Paopao wrote on Instagram, ‘Prayers up. comeback gon be crazy!’

Although Kitts said she’ll ‘lead, support and push my teammates from the sidelines,’ the Gamecocks will miss her veteran leadership on the court. Here’s what Kitts’ injury means for South Carolina women’s basketball.

Who will replace Chloe Kitts in lineup?

The Gamecocks’ roster got revamp in the offseason. Seniors Te-Hina Paopao (Atlanta Dream), Sania Feagin (Los Angeles Sparks) and Bree Hall (Indiana Fever) all graduated and just finished the their first season in the WNBA. South Carolina lost sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley (LSU) and senior center Sakima Walker (Cal) to the transfer portal. The picked up senior guard Ta’Niya Latson, who led the nation in scoring last season at Florida State, and senior center Madina Okot (Mississippi State). The Gamecocks also added recruits Agot Makeer and Ayla McDowell.

Despite the turnover, Kitts had remained a constant and was expected to start her fourth season in South Carolina after starting 38 games last season and 31 of 37 games during the Gamecocks’ championship run in 2023-24. However, South Carolina’s starting lineup will look different with Kitts sidelined.

Sophomore forward Joyce Edwards will likely slide into Kitts’ starting spot. Edwards came off the bench for the Gamecocks last season, making one start in 39 games, but she led the team in scoring with an average of 12.7 points per game, in addition to five rebounds and 1.2 assists last year. ‘Her teammates are capable of stepping up,’ Staley said.

Kitts was projected to be a first-round WNBA draft pick next spring. She could enter the draft or return for a redshirt college season.

Chloe Kitts injury update

Kitts is expected to have surgery on her torn ACL this week, South Carolina announced on Monday. Kitts suffered the injury in practice, less than two weeks before the season tips off on Oct. 24.

‘Thank you to everyone who has reached out with love and support,’ Kitts wrote on Instagram. ‘I recently suffered an ACL tear and, unfortunately, will be out for this season. While this isn’t how I hoped my senior season would go, I’m trusting God’s timing and purpose. I’ll continue to lead, support, and push my team from the sidelines. We have big things ahead.’

‘It gets better’: Teammates, more react to Chloe Kitts’ injury

Kitts’ comment section was flooded with well wishes.

South Carolina forward Ashlyn Watkins, who stepped away from the program this season to recover from a season-ending ACL tear suffered on Jan. 5, commented, ‘U good chlo, it gets better.’

Fellow teammate Maryam Dauda wrote, ‘We love U

‘Praying for speedy and efficient recovery,’ Connecticut Sun guard Saniya Rivers said.

Yolett McPhee-McCuin, head coach of Ole Miss women’s basketball, wrote, ‘Chloe I am sorry to hear this. I will be praying that you have a full recovery. Love from Ole Miss WBB.’

Ole Miss forward Cotie McMahon added, ‘My Chlo I will be praying for you and a strong recovery!!! I love you chlo!!!’

South Carolina Gamecocks roster

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Continuing their bid for back-to-back World Series titles, the Los Angeles Dodgers have set their roster for the upcoming National League Championship Series showdown against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Other than one substitution, the Dodgers will have the same team in the dugout that carried them to a four-game defeat of the top-seeded Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Division Series.

The Dodgers have added right-handed pitcher Ben Casparius to the mix in place of third catcher Dalton Rushing, apparently signaling Will Smith should be able to handle a greater share of the duties behind the plate in the NLCS. Smith was limited over much of September and early in the playoffs by a fracture in his right hand.

The Dodgers will also have veteran left-hander Clayton Kershaw on the roster, despite his rocky outing in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Phillies when he gave up five runs (four earned) in two innings of work.

Seriously, can you picture James Franklin calling the Hogs at Arkansas? Um, no.

How about UCLA’s opening? The Bruins need a program builder. The former Penn State coach is that, even if he almost always loses the big games. Franklin in Westwood might make sense if he didn’t just lose to UCLA. Imagine that introductory news conference: ‘We’re pleased to announce we hired the coach that couldn’t beat our interim coach.’

That’s a tough sell.

Franklin was in his 12th season at Penn State with a 104-45 overall record and led the Nittany Lions to the semifinals of the playoff last season.

Franklin, who was fired Sunday after three straight losses, might fit best at a Big Ten job that’s not yet open but where the coach sits on a scalding hot seat. I’m talking about Wisconsin. Franklin went 4-0 against the Badgers at Penn State, including a triumph in the 2016 Big Ten Championship.

Franklin can afford to be patient and enjoy the fruits of $49 million buyout bliss.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

Za’Darius Smith is walking away from the NFL in the middle of his 11th season in the league, leaving the Philadelphia Eagles to ponder whether their edge-rush rotation needs retooling.

The outside linebacker announced his decision Monday, four days after the Eagles lost to the New York Giants.

‘I knew this day would come — but now that it’s here, I’m feeling so many emotions I never expected,’ Smith wrote in the caption to an Instagram post. ‘Who would’ve thought that a kid from Greenville, AL, with just one year of high school football experience, would go on to play professional football in the NFL for 11 incredible years!’

A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Smith signed with the Eagles on Sept. 5, helping retool a pass rush that lost Josh Sweat and Milton Williams in free agency. He had 1½ sacks but recorded a season-low 17 snaps in the loss to the Giants.

Smith finishes his career with 70½ sacks, which had been tied for 13th among active players.

A fourth-round pick out of Kentucky in 2015, Smith first rose to prominence with the Baltimore Ravens. He then earned two Pro Bowl nods with the Green Bay Packers from 2019-2020, recording 26 sacks in that span. He went on to play for the Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions.

Smith’s departure further thins out a group already hurting from injuries. Outside linebacker Nolan Smith remains on injured reserve for at least two more games and is expected to be out through the team’s Nov. 2 bye, according to multiple reports. That leaves Jalyx Hunt, Joshua Uche, Parick Johnson and Azeez Ojulari as the team’s in-house options on the edge.

If general manager Howie Roseman is to make a splashy addition, he’ll need to do so before the Nov. 4 trade deadline.

One day after securing a 25-19 win over the New Orleans Saints to push his team to 4-2 on the season, Mike Vrabel couldn’t hold back on his criticism of the game’s officiating.

Asked Monday during his WEEI radio appearance about what could be done to improve officiating following several controversial calls in Sunday’s game, the New England Patriots coach had some pointed words.

“I got a tough enough job to coach this football team,” Vrabel said with a laugh. “There’s not much. It becomes comical, at a point.’

Vrabel added that he and Patriots vice president of football operations and strategy John Streicher closely parse officiating videos sent weekly to teams that break down the application of certain rules. He said he does not feel as though the message is reaching game officials.

‘And then I’ll see something in the game, I’m like, ‘Did they even watch the video?’ Like, me and Stretch – we’re pausing it, rewinding it, like, ‘Ah, I love these videos.’ And then I’m like, ‘Hey, did you watch the video last week? Like, they talked about this exact thing.”

Vrabel did not mention any objections to particular calls, but two offensive pass interference penalties against New England loomed large in the game.

In the first quarter, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye found DeMario Douglas free for a deep pass, with the receiver then evading a would-be tackler and racing into the end zone. The 61-yard score was called back, however, when officials flagged Stefon Diggs for offensive pass interference. Diggs had been engaged in contact with Saints cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry away from the action.

“On that play, we ruled blocking downfield by No. 8 early during the play,” referee Adrian Hill said after the game in a pool report. “If there is a situation where a player blocks downfield, it’s not a foul until a pass is thrown, so you kind of put that in the bank. And then the pass was thrown downfield later, that created the offensive pass interference.’

Diggs later had a 51-yard reception of his own wiped out when officials again called him for pass interference.

“I don’t really be tripping, to be honest. I try my best to make plays and catch the ball when they come to me,” Diggs told reporters after the game, according to MassLive. “When I get (back) hopefully we can submit them to the league to see if it was supposed to be called or not. But I don’t cry over spilled milk.”

South Carolina women’s basketball announced on Monday, Oct. 13, that senior forward Chloe Kitts will miss the entire 2025-26 season due to injury.

Kitts, the Gamecocks’ most experienced player with 69 career starts in three seasons, averaged 10.2 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game last season. She scored in double figures in four of South Carolina’s six NCAA tournament games in 2025.

“We hate this first for Chloe, who has worked incredibly hard to become the best version of herself on the court this season,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said in a statement. “Her teammates are capable of stepping up, and I know that her competitive fire and tenacity will be felt from the sidelines as she pours what she can into them to ensure our team’s success.”

Kitts was named the MVP of the SEC tournament last season after scoring 15 points with nine rebounds and three assists against Texas in the conference title game. She also scored 25 points in South Carolina’s first-round matchup of the tournament against Vanderbilt.

Kitts is a huge loss for South Carolina, who’s expected to be one of the top national championship contenders once again in 2025-26.

Here’s everything to know of Kitts’ injury:

Chloe Kitts injury update

Kitts suffered a torn ACL that will keep her sidelined for the entirety of the 2025-26 season, South Carolina announced on Oct. 13.

The program added she’s expected to have surgery this week to repair her knee.

‘Thank you to everyone who has reached out with love and support,’ Kitts wrote on Instagram. ‘I recently suffered an ACL tear and, unfortunately, will be out for this season. While this isn’t how I hoped my senior season would go, I’m trusting God’s timing and purpose. I’ll continue to lead, support, and push my team from the sidelines. We have big things ahead.’

Chloe Kitts stats

Here are Kitts’ year-by-year per-game averages in college:

2022-23: 1.6 points with 1.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game on 37.5% shooting.
2023-24: 9.1 points with 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game on 54.4% shooting.
2024-25: 10.2 points with 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game on 52% shooting.