Tempers boiled over late in the first half of the Detroit Lions’ 44–22 win against the Washington Commanders on Sunday when Washington defensive tackle Daron Payne was tossed from the game after landing a punch on Amon-Ra St. Brown.

The altercation unfolded well after Detroit capped a drive with a 13-yard touchdown run. On FOX’s broadcast, cameras caught Payne taking a swing at St. Brown’s helmet. Moments later, defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for making light contact with an official during the same sequence.

After the game, Kinlaw admitted his frustration got the better of him and acknowledged his penalty hurt the team, which was already trailing by three scores. Still, he came to Payne’s defense, insisting that the Detroit wideout threw the first punch.

“Daron only reacted — the refs saw who swung first,” Kinlaw told reporters in the locker room. “I can’t fault him for that. Things got heated; this game’s physical. Stuff happens. I just need to control myself better and keep my head for the team.”

When pressed to confirm that he personally witnessed St. Brown initiate the contact, Kinlaw doubled down.“Yeah, absolutely,” he said. “And the refs saw it too. It was total nonsense, 100 percent.”

Broadcast footage didn’t capture any clear angle of St. Brown landing a punch, though the Lions receiver admitted afterward that the two had exchanged shoves and words earlier in the drive.

“We got into a little back-and-forth a few plays before,” St. Brown explained. “After we scored, I went up and said something — nothing crazy — and then he just swung. That’s all it was.”

The sequence led to Detroit attempting a two-point conversion, pushing its advantage to 22–3 midway through the second quarter. The Lions went on to pile up 546 yards of offense, taking full advantage of a Commanders defense weakened by Payne’s ejection and several other absences.