The Kansas City Chiefs might need to start looking for a new kicker. Offensive woes are not the only wounds the Chiefs need to lick.
Harrison Butker was once one of the most reliable legs in the NFL, but those days are starting to feel like a distant memory. After a shaky 2025 campaign, the veteran kicker hasn’t done much to silence the doubters this season.
Butker’s latest rough outing came in the Chiefs’ 20-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football, where he went just 1-for-3 on field goal attempts. His struggles from deep are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. He’s converted just two of six field goals from beyond 50 yards this season and is only 7-for-15 from that range dating back to last season.
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Butker’s struggles are becoming harder for the Chiefs to overlook, and Sunday night’s meltdown only added fuel to the fire.
Last week, Butker missed an extra point and a field goal against the Los Angeles Chargers. Fortunately for Kansas City, those miscues didn’t come back to bite them. The veteran kicker made his other extra point and converted three more field goals as the Chiefs cruised to a 22-6 win.
Despite the shaky outing, Kansas City stuck by its kicker heading into Sunday Night Football. Special teams coordinator Dave Toub backed Butker to work through his struggles, showing the team wasn’t ready to pull the plug just yet. But after the Chiefs’ first loss of the season, that confidence could face a serious test.
Harrison Butker on his struggles last night: #Chiefs https://t.co/EXBSHBIJol
— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) October 26, 2026
Butker missed both a field goal and an extra point in Kansas City’s ugly 20-3 defeat to the Seahawks at Lumen Field. With the Chiefs’ offensive struggles already showing when it comes to moving the chains, those missed kicks made an uphill battle even tougher. In a game where every point mattered, Butker failed to capitalize on crucial scoring opportunities.
And the numbers paint an even uglier picture. Butker has missed five extra points since the start of last season. According to CBS Sports Research, his 15 combined missed field goals and PATs are the most in the NFL over that span. For a team chasing another deep playoff run, having its kicker leave points on the field is becoming a costly problem Kansas City can’t afford to keep ignoring.
Butker’s Costly Misses Haunt Kansas City
Butker’s kicking woes are becoming a serious headache for the Chiefs, and Andy Reid knows there’s work to be done. Following the Chiefs’ loss to the Seahawks, Reid didn’t sugarcoat his kicker’s struggles, saying Butker is “off a bit, so got to fix it.”
Butker’s night at Lumen Field was one he’d rather forget. He came up short on a 58-yard field goal attempt before halftime with Kansas City trailing 10-0. He bounced back with a 50-yard make in the third quarter, but the momentum didn’t last. With under nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, Butker pushed a 45-yarder wide right, leaving more points on the field as the Chiefs struggled to get their offense going.
The bigger concern? Butker has converted just 33.3% of his field goals from beyond 50 yards this season. And the long-range misses are only part of the problem. Since the start of last season, he has missed 15 combined field goals and extra points, the most in the NFL. Those miscues have cost Kansas City 35 points, a brutal swing for a team that needs every point it can get.
That’s a stunning fall-off for a kicker who was money when the stakes were highest. During the Chiefs’ 2023 and 2024 playoff runs, Butker went a perfect 15-for-15 on field goals and 13-for-13 on extra points. Now, with his reliability taking a hit, Reid and the Chiefs have a special-teams problem they need to fix before it costs them more games.
In today’s NFL, where games are often decided by a single possession, the Chiefs can’t afford to leave easy points on the field. Whether it’s an extra point or a makeable field goal, the kicking game has to deliver. And head coach Andy Reid has made it clear that Butker needs to get his act together.
Last Word On Harrison Butker and the Chiefs
Kansas City will likely give its veteran kicker another week or two to work through his struggles, but that doesn’t mean the front office should sit on its hands. The Chiefs should be bringing in kickers for workouts and seriously consider signing one to the practice squad to create some competition.
Make no mistake, Kansas City is still one of the NFL’s top contenders, but its kicking woes could become a major Achilles’ heel when the games get tighter. Butker’s past success in a Chiefs uniform deserves respect, but reputation alone can’t keep him on the roster if he continues to leave points on the field.
At some point, production has to trump past glory. The Chiefs should bring in a couple of kickers for tryouts, sign the best option to the practice squad, and give Butker some competition in practice. If he can’t turn things around, Kansas City may have to make the tough call and move on before his missed kicks cost them another game.
Main Image: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
