The Chiefs can live with a lot on special teams right now, but they can’t ignore everything.
One part of the unit has been as steady as a rock. Matt Araiza has given Kansas City exactly what teams want from a punter: the chance to turn the field and pin opponents back.
Through 14 punts, he leads the league with 52.4 yards per punt and ranks second in net average at 45.1. For a group that would rather avoid punting altogether, that’s a bright spot the Chiefs can bank on.
The problem is that the rest of the operation has too many shaky edges. Harrison Butker has been far from the automatic answer Kansas City is used to getting.
After Week 6, he’s 10-for-13 on field goals and 14-for-15 on extra points after missing a PAT against the Chargers. His 76.9% field goal rate ranks 23rd in the league, and even his latest try against Los Angeles came with drama, a 30-yard kick that barely cleared the uprights.
Harrison Butker left 4 points on the field today. That is a major problem. The Chiefs needs to make an adjustment
- It’s Jodi Newsome (@ItsJodiNewsome) October 18, 2026
Then there’s Nikko Remigio, whose season has been trending in the wrong direction for weeks. He sits near the bottom among qualified returners with 5.7 yards per punt return, and his Week 6 line only made the concern louder: one lost fumble on a punt return and three returns for nine yards.
This wasn’t a one-game dip, either. After the first three games, he was already almost last among qualified returners at 3.8 yards per return, and the numbers still haven’t moved much since then.
Fans are reaching the tipping point with him, and it is starting to boil over with calls to bench him.
If Kansas City decides to make a change, the easiest path would be to move away from Remigio and give Brashard Smith and/or Emmett Johnson a shot on return duties. Both have been solid on kick returns and could see more work. A trade is another route, but the returner market is thin.
For now, the Chiefs’ special teams picture is split right down the middle: Araiza is handling his job, Butker is raising questions, and Remigio is creating the loudest alarm of all. How Coach Reid, Coach Toub, and the rest of the staff handle it from here will be worth watching.
In Other News...
Chiefs Are Winning Ugly Again And That Could Mean Something
The Chiefs have spent most of 2026 looking more familiar in the one way that has mattered most: they keep finding a way to win the tight ones. After a bruising 2025 season in which close-game losses piled up and exposed issues on offense, defense and special teams, Kansas City has steadied itself by surviving a string of narrow finishes. The record does not suggest a team that has cleaned everything up, but it does suggest a group that has rediscovered how to handle pressure when the game tightens late.
Patrick Mahomes has remained central to that resilience, and Kenneth Walker has helped give the offense another layer as Kansas City tries to navigate the rest of the season. The early part of the schedule gave the Chiefs a softer landing, which matters when a team is trying to rebuild confidence after a bad year, but the path ahead looks far less forgiving. If the late-game formula is real, the Chiefs may be building something sturdier than a lucky run, and the next stretch will go a long way toward showing it. [Read more 🡒]
Former Chiefs Face New Setbacks As Familiar Names Fade Fast
Joe Thuneys first year away from Kansas City has been sturdy enough overall, but even solid veterans can feel the ripple effects of a new situation. After being traded to the Bears last offseason, Thuney has still been a dependable presence, yet he has also allowed more pressures this season, a downturn tied in part to the instability of playing at center. For Chiefs fans tracking familiar faces around the league, it has been a reminder that even proven names can run into fresh problems once they leave the familiar structure they knew in Kansas City.
The same theme has followed other ex-Chiefs in different ways. Trent McDuffie was inactive for the Rams in Week 6 because of a groin injury, while Hollywood Brown has rarely been on the field for the Eagles and has not made much of a mark when he has been available. Carson Steeles latest setback came quickly, as he left Week 6 early with a shoulder injury after his lone carry, another frustrating turn for a player still trying to find his footing. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Face A Familiar Receiver Temptation They Should Resist
With Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton sidelined, the Chiefs have spent the past week looking at their wide receiver depth a little more closely than they probably wanted to. Justin Watson has rejoined the group, which helps restore a familiar body to the room, but it has also revived the broader conversation about whether Kansas City should look outside the building for another option at the position.
Hollywood Brown is the name hovering around that discussion, and it is an understandable temptation for a team that always wants more answers at receiver. Still, the better move may be to stay patient and keep leaning into the young players already in the pipeline, especially after the bye gave them a chance to show they can help. For a Chiefs offense trying to hold steady through injuries, the question is not just who is available, but whether chasing another familiar name would actually be the smartest way forward. [Read more 🡒]