Watch: Chiefs teammates separated during sideline dispute

Kansas City Chiefs players and coaches on the sideline Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Watch: Chiefs teammates separated during heated sideline dispute

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Jan 1, 2024 9:46 AM ET

Despite leaving Week 17 with a 25-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals that clinched the AFC West, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Falling behind 17-7 after back-to-back touchdowns by Bengals quarterback Jake Browning (one passing, one rushing), Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay and defensive end Charles Omenhiu began shouting at one another as they returned to the sideline.

The animosity didn’t end once they got back to the bench either as Gay had to be restrained by fellow linebacker Nick Bolton after he continued to trade verbal jabs with Omenihu.

The Chiefs own sideline appears to be having some issues. pic.twitter.com/M6ylGDLXsR
— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) December 31, 2023

Clearer heads eventually prevailed when defensive tackle and captain Chris Jones went over to calm Gay down and squash any bad blood.

The Chiefs added two field goals before halftime to close the gap to 17-13 and the defense pitched a shutout in the second half as Kansas City ran off four straight field goals in the third and fourth quarters to seal the 25-17 come-from-behind win.

Kansas City held the Bengals offense to just 100 yards of total offense in the second half of the game, forcing three punts and two turnover-on-downs. Gay finished with five tackles and a tackle for loss, while Omenihu added five tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass defensed, a QB hit and half-a-sack.

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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