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Chiefs Coach Makes Statement on Harrison Butker Amid Accuracy Slump
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- Chiefs Coach Makes Statement on Harrison Butker Amid Accuracy Slump
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs opened the season 5-0, escaping the Indianapolis Colts in overtime, but Andy Reid's club has dropped back-to-back road games to the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos since then.
Harrison Butker's misses were part of the story in both. Seattle was the uglier of the two, a 20-3 loss in which the Chiefs scored only three points and Butker missed from 58 and 45 yards. In Denver, the quarterback threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns and Kansas City led 24-13 entering the fourth quarter.
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Then, with a three-point lead and roughly two and a half minutes left, Butker's 54-yard attempt sailed wide right in the rain, and the Broncos drove for the go-ahead score.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker.Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
The numbers show why the scrutiny is building. Butker has connected on 12 of 18 field-goal attempts this season, a steep drop from last year's 33 of 38, and his 16 misses since the start of 2025 are the most in the NFL.
The Chiefs signed five-time All-Pro Justin Tucker to the practice squad, though the organization hasn't publicly indicated it is ready to move on from its kicker. Special teams coordinator Dave Toub addressed the situation this week and made it clear the team is sticking with Butker.
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"Butker is our kicker," Toub said during Thursday's press conference. "We are paying Butker. Butker has won a lot of football games for us. Butker is a champion. He deserves the right to be exhausted on this thing. We are going to exhaust every possibility with him."
Toub also pointed to a recent practice session where the kicker went a perfect 10-for-10 in windy conditions while Tucker watched. At 5-2, the Chiefs now sit half a game behind Denver in the division, and with the AFC West race tightening, leaving points on the field is getting harder to afford.
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The Chiefs host the New York Jets at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Nov 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
