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Amid the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 2 struggles, it’s been hard to pinpoint much going right for the team headed into Week 3. The offense has looked good, which was to be expected. But they’re not quite as prolific as some might have expected after Brett Veach retooled the offensive line in the offseason.
Steve Spagnuolo’s defense has been one of the worst units in the league, even if against stiff competition in the first two weeks of the season. With a long road to the playoffs ahead and lots of room for improvement, Kansas City has but one north star in all that’s going wrong: the leg of pro bowl kicker Harrison Butker.
Totally flawless through two games, it’s probably too soon to prognosticate how long the perfection might last, but his exceptional leg has been one of the only sunny parts of an otherwise gloomy start to the season. Butker is 2-for-2 from the field and has hit eight consecutive extra points after struggling on the easy ones in 2020.
Last year, Butker set a career-high with his accuracy on field goals, making 92.6-percent of them and going four-of-four from 50 or more yards out. His 48-for-54 mark on extra points, good for just 88.9-percent was cause for concern heading into the offseason. His issues with PATs seem to have been rectified this year, but he did bang a few off of the uprights so far.
15 games stand between Kansas City and another playoff run, and with the AFC West looking more competitive than in years past, they’ll need every ounce of production they can get out of their kicker. Patrick Mahomes and his crew of offensive talent have proven they’ll do their best to hold up their end of the bargain, but with the defensive struggles characterizing the team’s early-season conversation, Butker could be the x-factor that delivers for the Chiefs in crunch time against the meat of their schedule.
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