Andy Reid isn’t panicking about Harrison Butker, even after a shaky afternoon against the Chargers left the Chiefs kicker with two more misses on the season.
Through five games, Butker is hitting just 10 of 13 field goals, a 76.9% clip that puts him well below the standard he’s set in Kansas City. Last season, he missed only five field goals all year. He’s already halfway to that mark, and the season is still in its early stages.
The latest setback came Sunday in the Chiefs’ 22-6 win over Los Angeles, when Butker missed a 52-yard field goal and also pushed an extra point attempt wide. His other two misses this year came from 50 yards and 51 yards.
Still, Reid made it clear Monday that the veteran kicker hasn’t lost the coaching staff’s confidence.
“I’ve got trust in Harrison,” Reid said on Monday. “That’s the best I can tell you.
He’ll fix whatever the problem is. He’ll fix it and get it taken care of.
He works like crazy at that.”
The concern for Kansas City is obvious: when a game tightens up, kicks from deep range can swing everything. Butker has been one of the league’s best from distance over his career, connecting on 36 of 57 tries from 50 yards or more. This season, though, his longest make has come from 50 yards, which is the lowest season-high he’s had.
For now, the misses didn’t change the outcome on Sunday. The Chiefs stayed unbeaten, and Butker still has time to settle back in.
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