The Chiefs won big on Sunday, but Harrison Butker’s night turned into another reminder of how far his kicking has slipped.
Kansas City beat the New York Jets 35-12 at Arrowhead Stadium, yet Butker’s missed 51-yard try just before halftime drew boos from the home crowd - the first time that’s happened to him in his career. He’s now missed seven field goals this season, the most in the NFL, and his recent stretch has been rough enough to put his job in question.
After the game, Andy Reid wouldn’t lock Butker in as the kicker going forward. With Justin Tucker sitting on the practice squad, the Chiefs suddenly have a real decision to make.
“I’ll address that as we go throughout the week,” Reid said, via ESPN’s Nate Taylor. “I’ll look at everything. I’m not making any decisions right now.”
Butker, who was once one of the league’s most dependable kickers and delivered plenty of clutch makes during Kansas City’s three Super Bowl runs, has seen his accuracy crater over the last two seasons. Since the start of last season, he has missed 17 kicks overall, including 12 field goals and five extra points.
The Chiefs brought in Tucker two weeks ago after holding a kicker competition, and the move sparked plenty of backlash. Tucker, a five-time All-Pro, served a 10-game suspension last season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy after being accused of sexual misconduct by 16 massage therapists. At the time, special teams coordinator Dave Toub said Butker still had the job.
“We’re trying to improve and get Butker right,” Toub said. “That’s what this whole thing is about.”
But the misses have kept coming, and Butker knows it.
“I feel confident, I’m excited for the kicks, and I’ve just got to do better,” Butker said. “Week after week, saying the same thing.
Guys support me. They’ve seen what I’ve done in my 10 seasons, and they want me to be at my best.
I know who I can be. I’ve just got to make them go in.”
He also understood why the crowd reacted the way it did.
“I mean, I’m booing myself sometimes,” Butker said. “The fans are passionate.
They want [us] to win games. They want me to make kicks.
I want to make kicks. I’ve got to be better.”
Patrick Mahomes backed his kicker afterward, keeping the message simple.
“We have confidence in him,” Mahomes said. “That’s pretty much it. I’ve seen him make field goals at the biggest stages that you can make in this league.”
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