Even before opening kickoff for the AFC Championship, which the Kansas City Chiefs prevailed 17-10 over the Baltimore Ravens, there was already some drama on the field. Chirping between the teams started in warmups with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker.
Tucker was doing some stretches by the end zone, with his kicking tee in front of him. In the same area, the Chiefs, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes, were also warming up.
Kelce seemed to tell Tucker to move, and when the star kicker does not budge, No. 87 takes things into his own hands. Kelce kicked Tucker’s ball and tossed his helmet and the other footballs to the side.
Tucker did not move despite his stuff being thrown to the side.
Here is a look at what went down:
Tucker has a history of warming up on the opponent’s side of the field.
Things did not end there. Mahomes got involved, continuously tossing his tee aside while Tucker attempted to practice. Tucker looked frustrated, but did not move to a different part of the field.
After the game, Tucker addressed the situation and explained his side. He said he found it “kind of silly” to even discuss it, adding he didn’t feel like it was “a big deal.”
Tucker felt like there was no bad blood following the interaction, saying, “I think if you just see the whole interaction, and then you see us at the coin toss, we’re all dapping each other up and then we just get on with the football game.
“For those who don’t know, the way it works is each team’s kicker goes to the other team’s designated warmup area on the field. And for me it’s usually about 90 minutes before kickoff so I’ve been doing the exact same thing for 12 years. Never really had a problem with anybody. But yeah, that’s just kind of the way we’ve always done it and the way kickers around the league have always done it.”
Tucker said he saw Mahomes trying to warm up and…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/tempers-flare-before-chiefs-ravens-patrick-mahomes-says-justin-tucker-tried-to-get-under-our-skin-pregame/
Author : Shanna McCarriston
Publish date : 2024-01-30 22:27:15
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