The NFL playoffs are serious business, and the teams contesting the AFC Championship reinforced that ahead of kick-off on Sunday.
The Kansas City Chiefs travelled to Maryland to face the No. 1 seed Baltimore Ravens, marking the first conference championship game for the Chiefs away from Arrowhead Stadium in the Patrick Mahomes era.
Being on the road means certain pre-game routines will often need to be altered, and on Sunday the Chiefs were going through their warm-ups at M&T Bank Stadium with an uninvited guest in their midst as Ravens placekicker Justin Tucker was also going through his own warm-ups — albeit a little too close for comfort for Kansas City stars Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
While Mahomes was tossing the ball around in one of the stadium's end zones, Kelce could be seen kicking away a football and removing other practice equipment ostensibly belonging to Tucker, who was stretching nearby.
This came moments after Mahomes himself was spotted kicking Tucker's equipment away while warming up.
While the interactions between Mahomes, Kelce and Tucker were largely harmless, things escalated later when Ravens defensive back Arthur Maulet was caught on camera exchanging words with several Chiefs players at the 50-yard line before being shoved back towards his own teammates.
Cooler heads ultimately prevailed, but with the energy on display prior to kick-off it wouldn't be surprising if the game itself ends up being a fiery affair.
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