By Jeremy
Harrison Butker’s missed field goal and extra point did not threaten the Chiefs’ 22-6 win over the Chargers. That is the reassuring part. The less reassuring part is that Kansas City cannot count on a 16-point cushion every Sunday. Andy Reid says he still trusts his kicker, and he has good reason to. But for Chiefs fans watching points slip away again, trust and concern can coexist.
The pattern is worth examining
Butker’s afternoon against Los Angeles was not simply a case of a kicker losing his range. He also made a 50-yard field goal. The misses nevertheless came in two different situations: a field-goal attempt and an extra point. The latter is particularly frustrating because it should be one of the more routine scoring chances the offense creates.
The broader numbers make this harder to dismiss as one strange game. According to NFL statistics, Butker made 33 of 38 field-goal attempts in 2025, along with 31 of 35 extra points. Through five games this season, he is 10-for-13 on field goals and 14-for-15 on extra points. All three of this year’s field-goal misses have come from 50 yards or farther, so it would be unfair to treat every miss as equally alarming. Still, Sunday’s missed extra point adds another kind of mistake to the picture.
That is the distinction Reid and the Chiefs must sort out: Is this the ordinary volatility that comes with asking a kicker to try difficult long-range attempts, or is Butker’s margin for error narrowing? A five-game sample cannot settle that question. It is large enough, though, to justify paying attention rather than waving away every miss.
Reid’s confidence meets a tighter schedule
After the Chargers game, Reid said he has “got trust in Harrison” and believes Butker will fix the problem. Publicly backing a veteran after a win makes sense. It does not mean the coaching staff should ignore the details. Kansas City needs to understand whether the misses share a correctable cause and whether Butker is comfortable on the attempts Reid may ask him to take in close games.
The Chiefs’ schedule puts that question in focus. The team lists road games at Seattle on October 25 and Denver on November 1. Those opponents are not guaranteed to make either game close, but the Chiefs’ 33-30 overtime win over Indianapolis and 30-27 win over Las Vegas already show how little room a tight finish leaves for unused scoring chances. A missed kick in a 22-6 win is an annoyance; in a three-point game, it can reshape every decision that follows.
Trust should come with accountability
There is no need to declare Butker finished, especially after he connected from 50 yards against the Chargers. There is also no reason for Chiefs fans to pretend the misses are imaginary. Reid can keep trusting him while expecting cleaner results. As the road trips arrive, the best answer will not be another expression of confidence. It will be points on the board.
Butker needs to clean up those extra points ASAP. In close games, every point matters and we can’t afford to give up scoring chances when it counts most. Reid’s confidence is key, but accountability’s got to be there too.
It’s definitely concerning to see Butker miss those extra points; we can’t let close games slip away because of a crucial mistake. Confidence is one thing, but consistency is what we need heading into tougher matchups.
It’s tough to watch Butker struggle with those extra points when we know how tight games can get. He’s capable of hitting big kicks, but those routine misses can’t keep happening. Steps need to be taken before the road games start.