OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker has warmed up the same way before games for 12 years and has never had a problem before – until Sunday's AFC championship game.
About 90 minutes before kickoff, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and quarterback Patrick Mahomes interfered with Tucker stretching near where Mahomes was warming up. Multiple videos showed Mahomes twice throwing Tucker's kick tee aside and Kelce then kicking some of Tucker's footballs aside, knocking Tucker's helmet off the field.
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“I just thought it was all a little gamesmanship, all in fun,” Tucker said Monday, a day after the Ravens' 17-10 loss to the Chiefs. “But it seemed to be taken a little more seriously. I’m absolutely ready to let it all go.”
Tucker, the most accurate kicker in NFL history, explained that kickers across the league have always prepared for games this way. Kickers will make several attempts at both goal posts to get a feel for the wind and playing surface.
On Sunday, Mahomes completed his dropbacks near his own goal line, where Tucker had his helmet, kick tee and three kick balls. Mahomes asked Tucker if he could move his helmet.
“So I happily got up and pushed my helmet aside,” Tucker said. “At least I think it was out of the way enough.”
Tucker described Kelce and Mahomes as “two of the best players to ever play the game at their respective positions.” He admitted it was an intense environment but found it “silly” that he had to deal with something that happened before the game.
“I really don’t see it as a big deal,” Tucker said. “I think if you just see the whole interaction and then you just see us doing the coin toss – we all wet each other and then we just get on with the game of football.”