Harrison Butker just dropped a bombshell, guys, admitting what was secretly messing with his field goal and extra point rates for *two straight seasons*. It all goes back to the NFL’s kickoff rule change from a couple of years ago, a tweak that apparently had a ripple effect no one truly saw coming for the Chiefs’ kicker.
The Trickery That Hurt the Kicks
Remember when the league decided to mess with the kickoff rules? All of a sudden, kickers around the NFL started experimenting, trying to cook up wild new ways to make those balls impossible to return. Butker, the guy who’s usually money for Kansas City, says he got totally sucked into that. He was “tinkering too much with his kicking motion on kickoffs,” trying to make the ball dance, hitting those “knuckleballs and the funny kickoffs.” The kicker? This whole new approach? He believes it directly “affected his approach to kicking, and his field goals suffered.” Think about it: for *two full seasons*, both his field goal and extra point percentages dipped below his career averages. That’s a big deal for a kicker you expect to be automatic every time he steps on the field. It’s not just a little off, it’s a consistent decline!
The Simple Fix That Worked
Butker himself put it perfectly, saying, “Field goals matter the most.” He figured out, probably mid-season last year when things weren’t clicking, that trying to have “two different swings” , one for kickoffs, one for field goals , was the root of his struggle. He wasn’t having it anymore. “Halfway through the season last year I said, forget the kickoffs , not forget the kickoffs , but I’m just gonna hit a high hang time ball, good location, just focus on the location,” he explained. The trickery was out. No more “low line-drive knuckleball.” His goal? Get back to “the same foot-to-ball contact” every single time, whether it’s a kickoff or a clutch field goal. He noticed the difference right away, seeing how it “helped my field goals the second half of the season.” It sounds like a simple fix, but sometimes that’s all it takes.
So, what does this mean for Butker and the Chiefs moving forward? He’s sticking with this consistent, unified approach. After two seasons where he wasn’t quite himself, he’s figured out the mental and physical adjustment needed. We’re talking about a kicker who wants to be back to his absolute best, and if this focus on consistent contact is the key, then the league better watch out. You gotta love a guy who can self-diagnose and adjust like that!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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