Even three days after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship, all eyes are still on the pregame drama between Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, and kicker Justin Tucker. What started as a seemingly innocent warm-up routine turned into a mind game that has left Kelce and Mahomes fielding questions instead of focusing on the upcoming Super Bowl. Tucker’s tactics seem to have worked, as both players have been affected by his actions.
During an interview on the Pat McAfee show, Mahomes revealed that in his seven years of warming up, he has rarely encountered a kicker who didn’t adhere to the unwritten rules of sharing the field. Interestingly enough, all three instances where he faced this issue happened in Baltimore. Mahomes explained, “He does little things to try to get under our skin. I asked him to move his stuff, and he barely budged. Thankfully, Kelce stepped in and took care of it for me.”
Kelce, always the enforcer, joined the show later and was interrupted by Mahomes in a playful video-bombing moment. The two discussed the potential consequences if Tucker had missed a late field goal, which would have brought the Ravens within one score. Kelce jokingly stated, “If he would have missed that field goal, we would have definitely gotten a 15-yard flag.” Mahomes added, “He just can’t let us have any fun.”
It’s evident that Tucker’s mind games got under the skin of Kelce and Mahomes. While it may not have affected their performance on the field, it certainly distracted them from their respective games. Unfortunately for Tucker and the Ravens, their attempts to throw off the Chiefs’ star players ultimately fell short.
