Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker addressed his dismal start to the 2026 season after missing two kicks against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football.
“I try to take one kick at a time,” Butker, 31, told reporters after the 20-3 loss on Sunday, October 25. “I’m blessed every opportunity I get and try to do my best. It’s kind of the life of a kicker — it either goes in or it doesn’t. And unfortunately, there’s been some kicks that haven’t gone in.”
Butker was short on a 58-yard field goal attempt to end the first half and later missed a 45-yard attempt in the fourth quarter. He managed to connect on a 50-yarder in the third quarter, giving the Chiefs their only points of the game.
“The 58-yarder, just short,” he said. “Otherwise it was [in the] middle. Obviously, you want to make it, but it was short. And then the 40-yarder at the end, you just got to make it. Just pushed it.”
Butker’s 15 missed kicks (10 field goals, 5 extra points) since the start of last season are the most in the NFL, according to the Associated Press.
His field goal percentage (68.8%) in the 2026 season is tied for fourth-worst in the league.
Despite the rough start, Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub “stopped by Butker’s locker on his way to the bus to offer some encouragement” after the game on Sunday, per the Kansas City Star.
“I appreciate it,” Butker said of Toub’s faith in him. “He definitely supports me — my 10th season here. I’m very thankful to have been with him for such a long time, and he’s my biggest supporter and pushes me to be my best.”
He added, “Every kick matters, every day of practice, every game. And I’ve got to be better.”
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid gave his blunt assessment of Butker’s performance after the loss to the Seahawks.
“He’s been one of the most consistent kickers in football,” Reid, 68, told reporters. “He’s off a bit, so gotta fix it.”
Butker has been a cornerstone of the Chiefs’ dominance over the past decade, but he’s become just as notorious for comments made away from the football field.
During a commencement address at Benedictine College in May 2024, Butker compared Pride Month to “deadly sin” and called on women to embrace the role of “homemaker,” amongst other controversial remarks.
Butker defended his speech when talking to reporters at Super Bowl media day in February 2025.
“God has given me this platform and I’m going to say what I believe to be true and what I hold close to my heart,” he said at the time.
