For a few moments on Sunday, it seemed as if the Chiefs’ bid for a second consecutive Super Bowl championship was coming undone.
All-world quarterback Patrick Mahomes had just left the game with an obvious concussion. His backup, Chad Henne, led the offense in his place, but stalled in the red zone and only yielded three points. Shortly thereafter, CBS cameras caught receiver Tyreek Hill shoving position coach Greg Lewis on the sideline:
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Except, the shove wasn’t nearly as bad as people who saw it live thought it was. Even in the above clip, it’s obvious Lewis is smiling through his mask.
So what exactly was the deal when Hill shoved Lewis? Hill provided a little context to the situation on Wednesday ahead of Kansas City’s AFC championship game matchup with the Bills (whom they beat 26-17 in Week 6):
“That’s just me and my personality. I’m just fired up and happy just to be in the NFL.”
Cameras caught Tyreek Hill shoving #Chiefs receivers coach Greg Lewis on the sideline. Hill said it wasn’t what people assumed it to be. #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/y7ApUUX6t9
— Mitchel Summers (@WIBWMitchel) January 20, 2021
So, there you have it. Hill wasn’t being a hothead or a diva — just trying to get his team fired up. It might not have worked for the offense (the field goal was the team’s last score of the game) but it worked for the defense, which allowed only one more touchdown to Baker Mayfield and the Browns to give the game its final 22-17 score.