While Kansas City Chiefs fans were understandably relieved simply to get the first win of the season in Week 3, quietly, another concern has emerged. Placekicker Harrison Butker has looked off since the first game of the season, missing kicks that were once no-doubters. The veteran kicker has missed two field goal attempts in the last two games and had a make that was a lucky bounce away from being his third miss in two games.
Add in the two missed extra points, and there is every reason for alarm regarding another declining veteran.
It would be far from the first time a once-reliable kicker has had things go sideways without warning. The Atlanta Falcons just moved on from long-time K Younghoe Koo (which they might already regret), and the Chiefs could be the next squad to shake up their special teams if things don't improve.
Chiefs Fans Growing Increasingly Concerned with Harrison Butker's Early Misses
Butker has earned himself an incredible level of grace based on the never-ending list of clutch moments from the kicker. Coming into the year, it was hard to form any feasible argument against the Chiefs holding the best scoring option in the league. It's only taken three games for that reputation to slowly head in the wrong direction, and Butker is going to need to string some consistent games together to earn back trust from a frustrated fan base.
So much has gone wrong for the Chiefs this season that the performance of the kicker has almost been lost in the shuffle. Something that simply cannot happen when you're looking at the rare air Kansas City is attempting to chase in a continued dynastic run. This isn't to suggest that the Chiefs should do anything rash, but that also doesn't mean head coach Andy Reid should maintain the status quo.
Look back at the close playoff games the Chiefs have won over the last four years and consider how differently things would look without Butker's reliable leg. Although Reid & Co. could've had a ton of success without his help, it goes without saying that the former Georgia Tech product has made that job easier.
But even with Butker's cemented legacy, the Chiefs cannot afford to continue to employ the special teamer if his kicking woes persist. The last thing Kansas City needs is for him to miss a crucial kick in a fate-deciding game.
Butker simply is far too accomplished for fans to believe this is anything other than a rough patch that will sort itself out. Even in an incredibly demanding position, the Decatur, GA native has shown himself to have an incredible level of resilience, leaving hope for Chiefs fans that this isn't what it appears to be and will prove to be an outlier in what continues to be an incredible career.