{"id":250665,"date":"2025-10-13T12:47:54","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T16:47:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=250665"},"modified":"2025-10-13T12:47:54","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T16:47:54","slug":"mr-reliable-to-liability-chiefs-dilemma-on-butker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/10\/13\/mr-reliable-to-liability-chiefs-dilemma-on-butker\/","title":{"rendered":"Mr. Reliable to Liability: Chiefs\u2019 Dilemma on Butker"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Throughout the Kansas City Chiefs\u2019 dynastic run, kicker Harrison Butker<\/a>\u00a0has been one of the team\u2019s most reliable and overlooked stars.<\/p>\n

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Kansas City Chiefs long snapper James Winchester (41) runs on the field ahead of kicker Harrison Butker (7) and punter Matt Araiza (14) before an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars edged the Kansas City Chiefs 31-28.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mr. Reliable to Liability: Chiefs\u2019 Dilemma on Butker<\/h2>\n

From clutch postseason field goals to consistent regular-season accuracy, Butker\u2019s right foot has often been the silent difference in tight games. But five games into the 2025 NFL season, that reliability has started to waver, leaving the Chiefs with an unexpected concern at a position that has long been stable.<\/span><\/div>\n

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High Conversion Rate<\/h3>\n

According to the NFL stats, Butker is one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history. He entered this season having converted\u00a0 84 percent of his field goals in seven of his first eight years. His career mark of 88.0 percent ranks among the league\u2019s best. This season, however, he\u2019s been far from automatic. Through six games, Butker has made 11of 14 field goals and 13of 16 extra points, including misses from 40, 56, and 58 yards. His 2025 field goal percentage stands at 78.6<\/strong>, a notable dip for a player known for his precision.<\/p>\n

More Stuggles<\/h3>\n
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The struggles were on display again in Kansas City\u2019s 30-17 win over the Detroit Lions<\/a><\/strong> on Sunday night, when Butker missed an extra point. A week earlier, in the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a>, he avoided any misses but sent a crucial late-game kickoff out of bounds, giving the Jaguars favorable field position to start what became their game-winning drive.<\/p>\n

Speaking before Sunday’s match, head coach Andy Reid <\/a>maintained confidence in his kicker, offering perspective through a familiar analogy.<\/p>\n

“Like any golfer \u2014 you guys have all golfed \u2014 sometimes you\u2019re hitting it good and other times you\u2019re off,\u201d Reid said. \u201cBut you work through it and keep swinging, man, and he\u2019ll do that. He\u2019s a talented kid, mentally tough. I\u2019m not really worried about him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, the numbers suggest something is off. Butker\u2019s rhythm, once automatic, seems disrupted. Whether it\u2019s mechanics, confidence, or a mix of both, the Chiefs are navigating unfamiliar territory with a player they\u2019ve long trusted in pressure moments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Injury Limit<\/h3>\n
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This dip in form follows a 2024 season that was also turbulent for Butker. Injuries limited him to 13 games, forcing Kansas City to bring in multiple replacements during the year. One of them, Spencer Shrader<\/a>,\u00a0impressed in limited duty \u2014 going 3-for-3 on field goals and 6-for-6 on extra points before finishing the season with stints on the Jets and Colts.<\/p>\n

Shrader, who now plays for the Colts, suffered a season-ending injury\u00a0 <\/a>\u00a0ACL and MCL when Raiders safety Tristin McCollum hit his kicking leg on an extra point on Sunday. McCollum was flagged for roughing the kicker, and now he’s been fined by the NFL.<\/p>\n

Temporary struggles?<\/h3>\n

Despite last season\u2019s instability, the Chiefs expressed no long-term concern about Butker\u2019s health or reliability heading into 2025. They declined to retain a backup kicker, instead putting full trust in their veteran. But with six games of inconsistency now on record, that confidence may soon be tested.<\/p>\n

For a franchise defined by its offensive firepower and championship composure, special teams rarely dominate headlines; the Chiefs can only hope the struggles are temporary.<\/p>\n

Main Photo: Denny Medley-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Throughout the Kansas City Chiefs\u2019 dynastic run, kicker Harrison Butker\u00a0has been one of the team\u2019s most reliable and overlooked stars.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5620,"featured_media":250694,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6431,16],"tags":[3265],"class_list":["post-250665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-teams","category-chiefs","tag-harrison-butker"],"modified_by":"Will Koshover, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5620"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250665"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250665\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":250695,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250665\/revisions\/250695"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}