The Kansas City Chiefs are holding strong on kicker Harrison Butker this week, showing some serious loyalty after his seventh miss of the year in Week 9, a 51-yarder. Even with Justin Tucker, one of the best in the biz, chilling on the practice squad, head coach Andy Reid confirmed Wednesday they’re “sticking with” Butker. Then special teams coordinator Dave Toub doubled down on that faith Thursday, saying the team’s longtime placekicker is gonna pull through.
Seven Misses Deep: The Struggle Is Real for Butker
It’s been a rough patch for Butker, no doubt. That missed 51-yard field goal against the New York Jets wasn’t just another miss, it was his seventh on the season. And get this: it marked his fourth straight game with a missed field goal. Two of those games even had multiple misses if you count the point-after attempts. Honestly, this is probably the worst stretch in his entire nine-year career in Kansas City.
Toub didn’t mince words about how it’s affecting Butker, either. He said, “It bothers him, it bothers him a lot.” You can only imagine the pressure, right? To kick at the level he usually does, then have this happen in front of 70,000 screaming fans? Toub gets it, saying, “He hears it, he knows it, the pressure is on him, but I have confidence.” There’s definitely a “weight on him,” as Toub put it. They need him to hit a perfect day, then stack another, and another.
Coach’s Faith and the Mental Game
So why stick with him when you’ve got a Pro Bowler like Tucker on standby? Toub is confident. He straight up said, “He’s going to come through it. I’m confident that he will; we’re just going to keep practicing him and keep working on little things; he’s looked good in practice. There’s a reason why he’s still our kicker.” That’s a strong statement of belief.
Toub even brought up Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass as an example. Bass missed five extra points and five field goals in 2024, didn’t play in 2025, and now he’s got “25 in a row.” It shows that even the vets hit slumps and can come out of them. Toub’s diagnosis for Butker’s current woes is clear: “It’s a mental thing.” He thinks Butker needs to “be more aggressive, put the ball down the middle and take a shot. Don’t try to be perfect with the targets.” It’s about powering through, attacking the kick instead of trying to be too perfect. While they work with Butker, the coaching staff is still making sure Tucker is ready, just in case.
The message is clear: the Chiefs are betting on Butker to break this mental block and start delivering when it counts. Toub is “hoping that he starts a streak this weekend.” Every point matters in the NFL, and getting their kicker right could make all the difference in the weeks ahead.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Arrowhead Pride.
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