Travis Kelce Ripped Justin Tucker With Two NSFW Words Over AFC Title Pregame Antics

The Ravens kicker made enemies on the Chiefs before the game even started.
Travis Kelce Ripped Justin Tucker With Two NSFW Words Over AFC Title Pregame Antics
Travis Kelce Ripped Justin Tucker With Two NSFW Words Over AFC Title Pregame Antics /

Before the AFC championship on Sunday even began, the Baltimore Ravens made a crucial mistake: they provoked an opponent that needed no extra motivation.

Ravens kicker Justin Tucker appeared to antagonize the Kansas City Chiefs during pregame by warming up within the road team’s designated area of the M&T Bank Stadium field. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce responded by nonchalantly picking up Tucker’s tee and helmet and tossing them off to the side so quarterback Patrick Mahomes could get in work.

After the dustup, Kelce posted one of the most productive playoff games of his career, catching 11 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown in a 17–10 win.

On Wednesday, he addressed the controversy on his podcast, New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce. Kelce began by noting that specialists, traditionally, use both sides of the field to warm up because of wind and other factors.

"If you're trying to go onto the other team's designated area, you kinda stay out of the way. You don't interfere with what they have going on," the tight end said. "If you want to be a f---king d--k about it, you keep your helmet and your football and your f---ing kicking tee right where the quarterbacks are warming up."

Kelce conceded Tucker seemed to just be messing with Kansas City, but noted he and Mahomes were taking special care with warming up this week.

"You gotta go in there and have the right mindset," Kelce said. "We just weren't in a joking mood. We were ready to get after it."


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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .