The Kansas City Chiefs' 20-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks during Sunday Night Football can hardly be attributed to one player's mistakes. It was a putrid showing in all facets of the game for KC, and Mike Macdonald's squad came out dominant from the get-go.
With that said, kicker Harrison Butker's shortcomings continued to loom large on special teams. It's become a consistent theme for the 31-year-old, who has slipped significantly from his prime and endured several rough seasons in a row.
Butker's first field-goal attempt of the evening came from 58 yards out. He wasn't able to connect. There's nothing dishonorable about missing a near-60 yarder, but the kick would have split the uprights had it traveled the distance.
That raises real questions about Butker and what has been causing this prolonged slump. He's only two months removed from drilling a record-shattering 69-yard kick in the NFL Preseason that had fans believing he was back to his elite self. Is there a lapse in focus with his kicks, a mechanical issue, or even an underlying injury?
He partially redeemed himself in the third quarter, hitting his second field goal from 50+ yards this season. However, he squandered that momentum by missing a 45-yard attempt wide right with more than eight minutes remaining in the final quarter. The kick would've cut the Chiefs' deficit to seven points and given them a chance to get back into the contest, but Butker couldn't capitalize on the opportunity.
In his postgame press conference, head coach Andy Reid acknowledged that Butker hasn't been himself lately but maintained that he remains confident in his longtime placekicker.
"Listen, he's been one of the most consistent kickers in football," Reid said. "He's off a bit. So, we've got to fix that."
The numbers don't necessarily back Butker's reputation as one of football's most "consistent kickers," though. As noted by Associated Press writer Josh Dubow, his 15 missed kicks since the start of the 2025 campaign lead the NFL. That many failed attempts in that span is a far cry from the consistency Reid described.
— Tucker D. Franklin (@tuckerdfranklin) October 26, 2026
Dating back to the 2024 season, Butker has converted exactly 50% (9-of-18) of his field-goal attempts from 50 yards or deeper. While raw leg strength has long been his trademark, the fact that he's falling multiple yards short on long-distance tries now indicates that his value is no longer what it once was.
Reid has consistently defended Butker through his recent struggles, and there was a point when it was reasonable to believe the veteran could return to form. However, he's getting closer to the point of no return, having statistically performed like a bottom-tier kicker in recent years despite his penchant for coming through in clutch moments.
Kansas City isn't exactly in a position to simply cut ties with the Georgia Tech graduate, who is signed through 2028 and ranks as the NFL's fourth-highest-paid kicker. Regardless, his current production is no better than what the Chiefs could get from the average practice squad kicker. If he continues costing the team games, a serious conversation about his future will have to be had.
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