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Andy Reid Makes Decision On Starting Kicker For Week 9
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- Andy Reid Makes Decision On Starting Kicker For Week 9
The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a crushing 28-24 loss to the Denver Broncos. This means Denver has taken over first place in the AFC West.
The Chiefs face the lowly New York Jets in Week 9, although it is not a game they can take for granted one bit.
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A big question entering the game is the status of the kicker position. Harrison Butker has struggled, which led the team to sign Justin Tucker despite his controversial background.
Andy Reid had insisted previously that Butker was going to keep the job initially. However, Butker then missed a field goal in the loss to Denver.
On the season, Butker is 12-of-18 on field goals and 17-of-18 on extra points.
On Wednesday, Reid said he is sticking with Butker for this week, according to Nate Taylor of ESPN.
"Harrison [Butker] will be in," Reid said.
Andy Reid allowed Butker to attempt a 54-yard field goal in the loss to the Broncos, and while that is never an easy task, it is something Butker has done plenty in his career.
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His longest field goal of his carer is 62 yards, but this season, Butker's longest is 50 yards, and he is just 2-of-7 from 50 yards and further in the 2026 season.
NFL insider James Palmer reported that Butker "understands the situation" and knows he needs to deliver.
At the same time, Palmer revealed that Tucker's workout was "out of this world."
With all of that, Reid might not have a choice but to use Justin Tucker, especially if Butker continues to struggle kicking the ball.
Butker has missed at least one field goal in each of the last three games, and he had two misses in the previous loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
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Butker has 16 missed kicks since the start of last season, which is the most of anybody in the league during that time, according to a stat from ESPN Insights.
None of that bodes well for Butker, although for now, Andy Reid is confident in his veteran kicker.
Kansas City faces the Jets, then Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals in a series of winnable games, which is good news after two straight losses against the Seahawks and Broncos.
The Harrison Butker-Justin Tucker situation will be one to monitor each week, and any time, Reid could move and insert Tucker as the starting kicker.
