Kansas City, Mo. ? Despite an embarrassing shouting match between two players, the Kansas City Chiefs insist no dissension plagues the team, which still could seize home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Eric Hicks, who got into an oral exchange with fellow defensive lineman Ryan Sims after Saturday’s blowout loss in Minnesota, went to great lengths Tuesday to put the episode to rest.

“It was between two players,” Hicks said. “The other 51 guys in the locker room were trying to break it up. We have great camaraderie on this team. That’s one thing that has pushed us all the way through. There’s no dissension.”

The Chiefs (12-3) went through their first full practice Tuesday since a 45-20 pounding in Minnesota sparked the exchange, caught on tape before the media were kicked out of the room.

“It’s never good for people to argue,” Hicks told reporters. “The unfortunate thing is it happened in front of you all. But sometimes people need to air out what they need to air out. Like we said, it was over with on Sunday in both of our books. We talked about what we needed to talk about, and now we’re back to playing football.”

Sims and Hicks were called into a closed-door meeting with coach Dick Vermeil the next day.

“You can look at it two different ways,” center Casey Wiegmann said. “You can look at it as bad or you can look at it as good. It can bring a team together or it can tear a team apart. With the guys on this team, I think it’ll bring them together.”

Neither Hicks nor Sims ever has been known as a hothead. But tempers were certain to boil over as the defense faltered week after week following a 9-0 start.

In their last two road games, the Chiefs have given up 90 points. They are last in the league in run defense, allowing a whopping 5.3 yards per rush — not the sort of thing to fill a playoff team with confidence.

“It’s the frustration of the way we were playing,” defensive end Vonnie Holliday said. “It kind of all came to a head, in the wrong environment. It’s something we’re going to have to overcome and I’m sure we will. Sims and Hicks are great guys, guys who are mature and know this is a work environment and know what we have to do to get things done. I’m sure everyone will respond accordingly.”

Of more immediate concern is how to stop the bleeding before the postseason begins. The AFC West champs will play host to the Chicago Bears (7-8) in their regular-season finale Sunday, then take a week off before hosting a second-round playoff game.

If Buffalo beats New England Saturday, the Chiefs would clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs by beating the Bears.

“Obviously we had a bump in the road last week, but I don’t think that anybody’s confidence is wavering,” said quarterback Trent Green, who had one of his worst games at Minnesota — throwing two interceptions and no touchdown passes.

The overall mood of the team, despite blowout losses in two of the last three weeks, is “really good,” Green said.

“We have already won the division,” he added, “secured at least one home-field playoff game, plus the fact that we have a bye the first week of the playoffs and depending on what happens on Saturday with New England, we still may have an opportunity to get home field throughout.

“So we feel pretty good what we are doing.”