Hearing upholds Branch ban; Lions shorthanded vs Bucs | JQJO

Detroit will be without starting safety Brian Branch on Monday night against the Buccaneers after the NFL upheld his one-game suspension, sustained by hearing officer Jordy Nelson. Branch sparked a postgame brawl by striking Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in the facemask in Kansas City; the league issued the ban the next day, and Branch has 10 fines in two seasons. He’s eligible to return Tuesday, with Avonte Maddox likely to start. It’s a marquee Week 7 matchup, as the 5-1 Buccaneers push to fend off the Falcons and chase the NFC’s top seed.