Not so long ago, the Kansas City Chiefs could rely on their star placekicker to get the job done more often than not. Harrison Butker's 50-yarders once felt like practice PATs; it was the same feeling people got from watching Stephen Curry pull up from three in his prime. You just expected it to go in.
For the past three years, however, that hasn't been the case. Special teams have been a concern with Dave Toub in charge of that unit. And while not all woes should fall on Butker's shoulders, he's certainly been a glaring problem.
Fortunately, the Chiefs dominated Sunday's game on both offense and defense, but it was against the helpless Los Angeles Chargers. If they want to get it done against Super Bowl contenders, the Chiefs must take care of business in all facets of the game.
Chiefs special teams continues to cost Kansas City possessions and points
Nikko Remigio fumbling punt returns could cost this team big time against a better opponent. The team drew multiple penalties on special teams, and Toub hasn't done anything to correct that recurring issue.
Now, back to the kicker.
According to Chiefs content creator DMac Wake, Harrison Butker entered Week 6 as a bottom-10 kicker in the league in terms of EPA/kick (-0.09, 22nd). He had been perfect on all kicks inside 49 yards, including all PATs. He had two misses on as many attempts from 50+ yards.
I will repeat again, Harrison Butker came into this game as one of the bottom 10 Kickers in the NFL to start 2026 and this performance in Kansas City is going to send him tumbling down the list....
— DMac Wake (@DMacWake316) October 18, 2026
Chiefs must look for replacements. pic.twitter.com/v0YSLh6u48
He finally connected a 50-yarder in Week 6, but he missed another long 52-yarder and inexplicably of his two PATs. Fortunately, the Chiefs didn't need him to pull this one off, but how often can they get by with him missing routine kicks?
The Chiefs became a dynasty thanks to their ability to take care of business in close games. Outside of last season, their record in one-score games was otherworldly, and Patrick Mahomes was (and is) a master of game-winning drives.
Butker has delivered time and time again throughout the course of his career, but can this team trust this version of him when everything is on the line? Reid has been more aggressive on fourth down because he doesn't seem as confident in Butker as he used to.
Given his outspoken nature and well-known views, Butker has become a polarizing figure, which also makes him a fan favorite to some and perhaps not so much to others. That shouldn't be a factor in this equation, but it's definitely worth considering when thinking about potentially moving on from him. Like it or not, the move would be loud and more distracting than it needs to be.
Butker has earned the benefit of the doubt after what he's done for the team, but there's only so much a team can stand from an erratic kicker. The Chiefs are a Super Bowl-caliber team, and they can't afford to let anyone hold them back.
As for Remigio and everyone else, special teamers are always considered disposable, so don't be shocked to see the team make some moves after Sunday's blunder.
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