THE Arizona Cardinals knew they were in for a particularly physical game when they faced the Detroit Lions last Sunday.
Before the game, safety Budda Baker called the Lions “a very violent team” and predicted it would be a “dogfight.”
Numerous players from both teams were injured during the game and it appears that upon review, the NFL fined Detroit players four times during the game, including two fines against cornerback Brian Branch. One involved the use of his helmet during the collision with tight end Trey McBride in the fourth quarter, which caused McBride to enter the concussion protocol and caused him to miss that game. week against the Washington Commanders.
Meanwhile, Branch was limited in Thursday’s practice in Detroit due to a concussion, but participated fully Friday and Saturday and has no game status for the Lions’ Monday night game against the Seattle Seahawks. McBride did not participate in any of the Cardinals’ three practices this week.
No penalties were called on the play, and no penalties were assessed on two of the other plays deemed worthy of fines. In total, the four fines total $39,016.
No cardinal was fined.
Here’s a look at the fines and circumstances of the plays:
Branch: $10,128
Unnecessary roughness to hit/kick/knee on kicker Matt Prater’s 42-yard field goal, a play that began with two seconds left in the first half. Branch rushed from the right side of the defense to Detroit’s basket and made contact with what appeared to be rookie Tip Reiman. However, when watching the replay, the camera moved away and what happened after the first contact could not be seen, but the league obviously saw something that caused the fine.
Branch: $10,128 (again)
Unnecessary roughness for helmet use on McBride’s play that started at the Cardinals 20-yard line with 6:06 left in the fourth quarter.
LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin: $11,255
Unnecessary roughness for a late hit on a 9-yard pass from quarterback Kyler Murray to wide receiver Michael Wilson that started at the Arizona 30-yard line with 29 seconds left in the second quarter. Reeves-Maybin was penalized 15 yards on the play for hitting Wilson after being tackled by Branch and linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez.
S Kerby Joseph: $7,505
Unnecessary roughness for a hit on a defenseless player on a 14-yard pass from Murray to wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. that began with 9:19 left in the fourth quarter. Joseph was credited with an assisted tackle on the play, although it was cornerback Terrion Arnold who brought Harrison down when he was hit by Joseph.
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This article was originally published on Cards Wire: Lions CB Brian Branch fined for hitting Cardinals TE Trey McBride
