Patrick Mahomes reveals past tensions with Ravens’ Justin Tucker after AFC warmup incident

As the NFL Conference Championship unfolded, many expected the Baltimore Ravens to secure victory, but the Kansas City Chiefs shattered those expectations, causing the Ravens to experience their worst performance of the season.

Now, with the Chiefs poised to make their fourth Super Bowl appearance under Patrick Mahomes’ leadership in just six seasons, a particular incident involving Mahomes and Ravens’ kicker Justin Tucker that occurred during pregame warmups prior to their matchup has garnered attention.

Patrick Mahomes speaks out on Justin Tucker warmup incident

Patrick Mahomes shared that this was the third time since he became a starter in 2018 that he had an issue with a kicker disrupting his warm-up before a game. What’s interesting is that all three incidents happened in Baltimore. Mahomes suggested that Tucker’s actions appeared intentional, possibly with the aim of getting under their skin.

“There’s been 3 occasions where there’s been a kicker that wasn’t moving out of the way or sharing the field in the right way, and it was in Baltimore all 3 times. He does that stuff I think to try to get under our skin.”

The altercation occurred prior to the Ravens vs. Chiefs’ game in the NFL Conference Championship. Video footage from M&T Bank Stadium captured the tense moment when Mahomes kicked Tucker’s ball holder out of the way during warmups.

The 28-year-old explained that despite asking Tucker to move his gear, the kicker only made minimal adjustments, prompting Kelce to take matters into his own hands. Kelce removed Tucker’s helmet and several footballs, tossing them to the side to create space for Mahomes. Throughout the incident, Tucker maintained a smirk while stretching in the background.

Justin Tucker on Patrick Mahomes’ pre-game alteration 

Before Patrick Mahomes addressed the situation, Justin Tucker stated his own explanation regarding the alteration. The Ravens’ kicker explained that he was simply following his routine, which he has done throughout his 12-year career.

He emphasized that it’s customary for kickers from both teams to warm up in both end zones to gauge the kicking conditions.

“I’ve been doing the exact same thing for 12 years, never had a problem with anybody. I saw Patrick there trying to warm up and get some dropbacks. He asked me while I was on the ground stretching if I could move my helmet.”

Tucker expressed surprise and dismay when Kelce escalated the situation by kicking his equipment and tossing his helmet into the end zone. He viewed it as “gamesmanship” and “fun” rather than an intention to start an alteration. 

Even though Tucker tried to follow the request and move his helmet, the situation turned out to be more serious than he expected, according to him.

“I happily got up and moved my helmet out of the way, at least I thought it was enough out of the way. And then Travis comes over and he just kicks my stuff, he throws my helmet. I thought it was all just some gamesmanship, all in good fun. But they seemed to be taking it a little more seriously.”

Meanwhile, the Chiefs are now one stage behind etching their name in the NFL history book as the back-to-back Super Bowl winner. Do you think they can ultimately achieve the feat by beating the San Francisco 49ers in the Super bowl LVIII?