The Detroit Lions continue to face repercussions from their Week 6 clash with the Kansas City Chiefs.
On Saturday, the NFL announced fines for both linebacker Alex Anzalone and defensive lineman Tyler Lacy for unnecessary roughness, citing the infraction as “striking/kicking/tripping/kneeing.”
Anzalone received a $12,172 penalty, while Lacy was fined $5,722.
According to Spotrac, this marks Anzalone’s first fine since the 2023 season, and Lacy’s first since joining the league that same year.
The two defenders now join safety Brian Branch as the latest Lions players disciplined by the league office for their actions in the heated Week 6 contest.
Earlier this week, the NFL suspended Branch for Monday night’s matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to his postgame confrontation with Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, in which Branch shoved the wideout to the turf.
Curiously, neither Smith-Schuster nor quarterback Patrick Mahomes received fines for their roles in the incident.
With 37 seconds left in the first half, Mahomes ran in a one-yard score to give Kansas City a 13-10 lead, appearing to taunt Branch by pointing and flexing toward him afterward.
Later in the fourth quarter, Smith-Schuster delivered what looked like an illegal block in the back on Branch, knocking him to the ground.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Branch admitted his emotions got the best of him, saying Smith-Schuster’s antics triggered his reaction.
“It was childish, but I’m tired of people doing stuff between plays and refs not seeing it,” Branch said. “They try to bully me out there. I shouldn’t have done it—it was childish.”
From the trick-play controversy involving quarterback Jared Goff, to the NFL’s handling of Branch’s suspension, the deleted NFL Films video criticizing him, and now the fines for Anzalone and Lacy, it’s been a turbulent week in Detroit.
The Lions will look to move forward Monday night when they host the Buccaneers at Ford Field in their second straight primetime showdown between two of the NFC’s top teams.
