Ravens' Justin Tucker Dodges Question on Chiefs Incident

After a pregame scuffle with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker is just keeping his head down.

Jan 28, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens place kicker Justin Tucker (9) warms up prior to the AFC Championship football game against the Kansas City Chiefs at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

There's no sugarcoating it, the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs simply do not like each other. Just ask Ravens kicker Justin Tucker.

Before last season's AFC Championship Game, Tucker got into a pregame incident with Kansas City's two biggest stars. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, apparently upset by Tucker warming up too close to them, decided to get in the star kicker's way, with the former tossing his tee aside and the latter doing the same to his footballs and helmet.

With the Ravens traveling to face the Chiefs again on Thursday, Tucker was well-prepared for questions about the incident.

"All I'll say about it is I'm excited to go into a great environment, play against a great football team, with great players, great coaches, and do everything I can to prepare myself to be ready to contribute to the Ravens winning a football game," Tucker told reporters Sunday, per ESPN's Jamison Hensley. "And that's all I got to say about it."

Tucker, the most accurate kicker in league history, also declined to answer whether or not he will warm up the same in Thursday's season-opener.

"My focus will be on preparing myself to go into the football game and contribute to a Ravens win," Tucker said. "That's all I care about."

A day after the game, Tucker described the incident as "gamesmanship" and "all in good fun." However, it's clear that the Chiefs didn't see it that way.

"He does that to get under our skin," Mahomes said, per NFL.com. "I asked him to move his stuff, and he got up and moved it, I think, two inches but didn't move it out of the way. I was going to let it slide but Travis moved it for me and after that I wasn't going to let him put it back down.

"I have a lot of respect for him as a player and as a kicker. He's one of the best kickers of all time, probably the best kicker of all time. At the same time, you've got to have respect for each team. We all share the field and we try to do that in a respectful way."

Regardless of who was actually in the wrong, hopefully it will all be water under the bridge when the two teams rekindle their rivalry on Thursday.

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