For the past eight seasons, Kansas City Chiefs‘ Harrison Butker has been one of the most accurate kickers in the NFL. According to Pro Football Reference, his career FG percentage (.880) ranks third among active kickers, trailing only Cameron Dicker (.943) and Eddy Piñeiro (.891).
In an injury-shortened 2024 season, Butker missed six kicks total (four field goals, two PATs). But after only five games in 2025, he has already missed five (Three field goals, two PATs). What is most unsettling is that every game so far this season has been sullied by some sort of miss or mistake by Butker. For a kicker with his history, this sudden dalliance with inaccuracy is alarming.
After a boneheaded out-of-bounds kickoff in Jacksonville that gifted the Jaguars a head start in their game-winning drive, social media was set ablaze by fans trolling Butker for his blunder, with many demanding his dismissal.
Chiefs’ coaching staff discusses Harrison Butker’s struggles
But the Kansas City coaching staff seems unfazed. According to Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports, Chiefs’ special teams coach Dave Toub addressed Butker’s recent troubles, vowing to work through them.
“We’re going to keep working…obviously, we don’t like misses,” he said. “We’re going to keep working to see if we can get more consistency. In a little bit of a struggle right now, everybody can see it, but we’re going to keep working.”
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid echoed Toub’s point of view, shrugging off Butker’s travails with a golf analogy.
“Yeah, I think, like any golfer, right? You guys have all golfed, and sometimes you’re hitting it good, and other times it’s off, but you work through it,” Reid explained. “You keep swinging, man. And he’ll do that. He’s a talented kid, tough, mentally tough. I’m not really worried about him.”
To be fair, Butker has not yet missed a kick that has cost the Chiefs a game, at least not directly, so unless (or until) that happens, and with votes of confidence from coaches Toub and Reid, his status as the Chiefs’ placekicker appears to be safe, at least for now.
With 12 regular-season games remaining, he will likely have multiple opportunities to redeem himself and prove that this rough patch is an anomaly, rather than evidence of an irreversible decline. For their part, Chiefs Kingdom will just have to be patient and see how the season plays out.
