The kicking woes for Harrison Butker and the Kansas City Chiefs are showing no signs of slowing down.
Butker, 31, was loudly booed by the crowd at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium after missing consecutive kicks in the Chiefs’ game against the New York Jets on Sunday, November 8.
Right before halftime, Butker clanged a 56-yard field goal off the upright. After a penalty to the Jets, however, Butker was given a second chance from 51 yards out, which he also missed.
CBS announcer Jim Nantz reacted to the barrage of boos, noting, “The crowd’s letting him have it.”
The Chiefs ultimately won the game, 35-12, putting an end to their two-game losing streak. Butker missed his only field goal attempt of the game, but was five-for-five on extra points.
In the locker room, Butker acknowledged the negative reaction from Chiefs Kingdom.
“I mean, I’m booing myself sometimes,” Butker said. “The fans are passionate. They want [us] to win games. They want me to make kicks. I want to make kicks. I’ve got to be better.”
He added, “I feel confident, I’m excited for the kicks, and I’ve just got to do better. Week after week, saying the same thing. Guys support me. They’ve seen what I’ve done in my 10 seasons, and they want me to be at my best. I know who I can be. I’ve just got to make them go in.”
Butker insisted he’s not dealing with any lingering issues that are causing his dip in accuracy.
“I feel great,” he said. “I definitely have the distance, the power. It’s just making kicks.”
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said the team still has “confidence” in Butker, despite his subpar stretch of play.
“That’s pretty much it,” Mahomes, 31, said after the game on Sunday. “I’ve seen him make field goals at the biggest stages that you can make in this league. I want him to know I have as much confidence in him as I’ve ever had, just trying to give him that vote of confidence.”
In response to Butker’s struggles, the Chiefs signed kicker Justin Tucker to their practice squad last month. Tucker, 36, previously served a 10-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy following allegations of sexual misconduct by 16 massage therapists.
Head coach Andy Reid was non-committal about the team’s path forward at the kicking position following the Jets win.
“I’ll address that as we go throughout the week,” Reid, 68, told reporters. “I’ll look at everything. I’m not making any decisions right now.”
The Chiefs travel to Atlanta to play the Falcons on Sunday, November 15.
