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.
In Other News...
Chargers Could Face A Real Quentin Johnston Decision Very Soon
Terry McLaurins season-ending knee injury has changed the trade market in a hurry, and it may have put Quentin Johnston on a short list of names worth monitoring. Washington now has a glaring need at receiver, and Johnston has enough explosive ability to make sense as a possible fit even if his production has been uneven. For the Chargers, that kind of interest creates an awkward kind of value question, because a player with big-play traits can look a lot different depending on whether a team sees him as part of its future or as an asset it should consider moving.
Los Angeles also has to weigh the football side against the contract side, since Johnston is no longer just a developmental flier. The Chargers have already committed to him beyond this season, which makes any serious conversation about his future more complicated than a simple deadline rental discussion. If Washington keeps pushing for help after losing McLaurin, the Chargers may have to decide soon whether Johnston is a piece to keep building around or one of the few receivers on the roster who could help bring back something meaningful. [Read more 🡒]
Quentin Johnston Trade Buzz Hits One Chargers Scenario Fans Would Hate
Quentin Johnstons name has started popping up in the kind of trade chatter that always gets attention in this division, and for Chargers fans, the destination is the part that stings. A Bleacher Report piece floated Kansas City as a hypothetical landing spot, which is enough to turn a routine roster conversation into a rivalry headache, especially when a players performance and contract situation are already part of the discussion.
For now, though, it is just that - discussion. There have been no confirmed trade talks or agreement, and the whole idea sits squarely in the theoretical category, but even a speculative link between the Chargers and Chiefs tends to linger because of what the matchup already means. In a division where every small personnel wrinkle gets magnified, this is the sort of scenario that fans would rather never have to picture in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Fans Suddenly Face A Brutal Derwin James Debate
An 0-6 start has put the Chargers in a difficult spot well before the trade deadline becomes real theater, and it has naturally pushed the conversation toward roster changes rather than quick fixes. For a team that entered the season with hopes of staying competitive, the possibility of shaking up the depth chart is now part of the backdrop, especially if the front office decides the better long-term play is to gather draft capital and reset.
Derwin James sits at the center of that uneasy debate because moving a player of his caliber would say a lot about where the Chargers believe this season is headed. He has remained productive, and his standing around the league only sharpens the stakes, since any serious discussion about trading him would ripple far beyond this year and force the organization to weigh immediate value against the kind of core player teams usually build around. [Read more 🡒]