Ravens' Justin Tucker Reveals Details of Conflict With Chiefs Kelce & Mahomes
Taylor Swift beau Travis Kelce engaged in some vigilante stuff just before kickoff at the 2024 AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end drew the wrath of Charm City when he and quarterback Patrick Mahomes tampered with the pregame warmup routine of longtime Ravens kicker Justin Tucker. Mahomes removed Tucker's kicking tee from the field while Kelce tossed away his practice balls and helmet, the antics serving as a prelude to the Chiefs' 17-10 victory that punched a ticket to Super Bowl LVIII.
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For his part, Tucker was able to shake it off: he smirked at Kelce and Mahomes' apparent attempts to ice him early and his comments on the fracas provided a bit of levity to a somber day of locker cleaning in Owings Mills.
"I just thought it was all some gamesmanship, all in good fun," Tucker said, per ESPN's Jamison Hensley. "But it seemed to be taken a little more seriously. I'm totally willing to let it all go."
Even with his pregame routine interrupted, Tucker's trademark brand of marksmanship was one of the few things that went right for the Ravens on Sunday: he successfully converted each of his two opportunities in the form of an extra point after Zay Flowers' first quarter touchdown and a 43-yard triple with 2:34 remaining that created the final margin.
Per Hayes Gardner of the Baltimore Sun, Tucker had made peace with the Chiefs' headlining duo by the time they and the rest of the captains met at midfield for the opening coin toss.
“(We were) all dapping each other up," Brunson said. "Then we just (got) on with the football game.”
While the Ravens franchise was denied a Super Bowl ring for the 11th straight season, Tucker still has jewelry waiting for him at home thanks to his efforts in the game's 47th edition. Tucker is the lone leftover from the historic group from 2012-13, which saw Baltimore earn a 34-31 victory over San Francisco in New Orleans.
