Shots have been fired between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots, as tensions mount before Sunday's highly-anticipated AFC Championship Game.

In a SportsCenter interview on Tuesday, Chris Harris Jr. of the Broncos was asked how his team plans on defending Rob Gronkowski – arguably the most talented tight end in the league right now (and cockiest too). His response was, "You gotta hit him low, man – hit him in his knees. That’s the best chance you have of hitting him."

On Twitter, a fan let Gronkowski in on what Harris Jr. had said. Hearing the game plan of his opponents' struck a nerve with Gronk, mostly because of the fact that he suffered a season-ending injury in 2013 after receiving a hard blow to the knees, and almost suffered the same injury once again this year during a game against the Broncos. The Patriots tight end took to Twitter to defend himself, and apparently has a different interpretation of what hitting "below the belt" means:

Rob Gronkowski Twitter
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The Broncos retaliated back by retweeting Gronk's low blow, followed by a post that included a video breaking down how to defend the 265-pound, All-Pro tight end. Another Broncos player, linebacker Antonio Smith, also added his two cents on the matter, calling Pats quarterback Tom Brady a "crybaby," especially when he gets sacked. Brandon Marshall chimed in too, calling Gronk out for consistently pushing off and getting away with it. When asked about the recent back and forth comments, Patriots coach Bill Belichick claimed that it's all just hot air and that his team is focusing on the game.

We'll see which team is left crying after Sunday's game.

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