Tag: Harrison Butker

Chiefs K Harrison Butker went into ‘Robot Mode’ on kick that forced overtime vs. Bills

Harrison Butker explained his mentality ahead of his kick to send the #Chiefs and #Bills to overtime. | from @TheJohnDillon

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When the Kansas City Chiefs had their backs to the wall with just seconds remaining in the divisional round win, kicker Harrison Butker answered the call for greatness, nailing a 49-yard field goal to send the game to overtime.

One of the most clutch kicks of his career, a miss would’ve delivered the Buffalo Bills a second-straight AFC championship berth. Instead, the made three-point play doomed the underdog Bills when Kansas City won the overtime coin toss.

For Butker it was just another feather in his cap, though. He understands the importance of every opportunity he gets to put points on the board. He didn’t want to make the kick any bigger than it was after missing a field and PAT earlier in the game. Butker told reporters on Monday that he gets into a robotic state of mind, especially when the pressure is on.

“I try to be like a robot,” Butker said. “Every kick is a big kick. I have different mental cues that I go through, different things that I do on the sideline to prepare me for each kick. As a kicker, the more you start thinking about the magnitude of the kick, what’s on the line, well then is that going to help you make the kick? Probably not. So, I think ‘what can I do right now in this moment to help improve the chances of me making this kick?’ I can work on my steps, I can go through my mental cues, I can make sure my ball contact is good in the net, I can visualize the ball going through.

“I can do all those things and then go out there, give it my best shot. Thankfully it went through, but it’s not until after the game you’re thinking wow, you know if I had missed that kick our season would be over and obviously, we have aspirations to go to our third Super Bowl in a row and win our second with this Coach Reid coached up team. You can’t think about all those things and I just really try to stay in my zone and focus on what I can control and execute to the best of my ability.”

Whatever helps the fifth-year veteran stay consistent for two more games will work just fine for fans who want the Chiefs to continue their run of dominance in big games this season. Butker has a unique role on a team that prides itself on its ability to put up as many points are needed to secure wins, and if the game against Buffalo was any indication, Kansas City can count on him to hit the kicks that matter most.

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Chiefs activate 4 players from Reserve/COVID-19 list

The #Chiefs have officially activated Harrison Butker, Tommy Townsend, Rashad Fenton and Armani Watts from the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid told reporters that every player from the 53-man roster who was on the Reserve/COVID-19 list returned to practice on Wednesday. Now, we have some confirmation that he wasn’t exaggerating.

According to the NFL’s official personnel notice for Wednesday, the team activated K Harrison Butker, P Tommy Townsend, CB Rashad Fenton and DB Armani Watts from the Reserve/COVID-19 list. The team also restored LB Darius Harris to the practice squad from the practice squad COVID-19 list. A lot of these players were able to be activated with the NFL adopting new COVID isolation rules based on updated CDC guidelines.

By our count, the only remaining Chiefs player on the Reserve/COVID-19 list is Mike Remmers, who is also on injured reserve due to a knee injury. Even with Remmers remaining on the list, they’re now in a much better place than they were just a week ago, with COVID running rampant through the roster.

The team did not need to activate TE Travis Kelce from the Reserve/COVID-19 list today because they already had ahead of the Week 16 game against the Steelers. He did, however, clear COVID protocols and return to practice on Wednesday. Here’s some photographic evidence shared by our friend Harold R. Kuntz at Fox 4 Kansas City:

Kelce and all the other returning players are considered all systems go for Week 17 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Chiefs’ Harrison Butker ruled out, Elliott Fry to kick vs. Steelers in Week 16

#Chiefs K Harrison Butker (Reserve/COVID-19) won’t play vs. the #Steelers due to his vaccination status. Newly-signed K Elliott Fry is set to kick according to a new report.

The Kansas City Chiefs will officially be without K Harrison Butker on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

According to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Butker will be ruled out for the Week 16 game due to his vaccination status. Butker was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday. He is unvaccinated per Rapoport, which means he’ll spend a mandatory 10 days on the Reserve/COVID-19 list in isolation before he’s allowed to be activated.

Thankfully, the Chiefs had the foresight to sign K Elliott Fry to the practice squad last week. Upon Butker’s placement on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, the team signed Fry to the 53-man roster. That signaled that the team expected to be without Butker, but now we know the exact reason why.

Here’s some history on Fry from our article about him being signed to the 53-man roster:

“Fry most recently spent time with the Atlanta Falcons also as COVID-19 insurance, but he got his professional football start with Alliance of American Football league, playing for the Orlando Apollos, going a perfect 14-for-14 when he was with the now-defunct league. Since 2019, Fry has made stops with the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he only first appeared in a professional game in 2020 with the Falcons. He attempted a single 23-yard field goal, which he made, while also going 1-for-2 on extra points.”

Even with a solid replacement in Fry, the Chiefs will miss Butker this week. He’s 22-for-25 on field goals this season and 41-for-43 on extra points. He’s been most impressive at distance on field goals this season, breaking the franchise record for most 50-yard field goals in a single season.

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Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, Harrison Butker, Charvarius Ward placed on Reserve/COVID-19 list

The #Chiefs are placing Travis Kelce, Harrison Butker and Charvarius Ward on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Kansas City Chiefs are placing TE Travis Kelce, K Harrison Butker and CB Charvarius Ward on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

These are just the latest players to enter the COVID protocols for Kansas City in recent weeks, joining Jody Fortson, Josh Gordon, Chris Jones, Willie Gay and Gehrig Dieter. It brings the total of players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list up to eight for Kansas City. Each of Kelce, Butker and Ward tested positive for the virus per reports.

Andy Reid spoke to the media earlier today, expressing optimism that Gordon, Gay and Jones would be available for Week 16 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Expect for there to be a shared optimism for these three players too.

One reason Kelce, Butker and Ward might be able to return ahead of the team’s Week 16 game against the Steelers is because of the NFL’s new return-to-play rules. Previously, vaccinated players needed two negative tests taken 24 hours apart in order to return to play. Now, players are only required to test negative once before they can be activated off the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

Kelce currently has the second-most receiving yards and the second-most touchdowns behind Tyreek Hill. His presence on the field alone is a weapon that makes the Chiefs a better team. Should he be absent from the game it’d be a huge loss for the team.

Just last week, the Chiefs added kicker Elliott Fry to the practice squad in order to prepare for the potential of an absence for Butker amid the latest COVID-19 surge. That is looking like a wise move with Butker’s addition to the list.

Finally, Kansas City is probably best prepared to be without Charvarius Ward. He missed games earlier this season with a quad injury, and the team has generally had a lot of changes in the secondary this season. One thing that will help: The Chiefs are poised to get L’Jarius Sneed back this week after a two-week absence following the death of his oldest brother.

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Harrison Butker sets Chiefs’ single-season record for most 50-yard field goals

With a 56-yard field goal against the #Broncos, #Chiefs K Harrison Butker has set a franchise record for the most 50-yard field goals made in a single season.

Kansas City Chiefs K Harrison Butker stamped his name in the franchise history books on Sunday.

With a 56-yard field goal in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos in Week 13, Butker has five field goals of 50-plus yards on the season. That number is good for the most ever in a single season in Chiefs franchise history.

The field goal had plenty of distance, but he bounced it off the upright. It counted all the same.

Check it out:

Butker already holds franchise records for the longest field goal (58 yards, 2020), most field goals in a single season (38, 2017), and most points by a kicker in a single season (142, 2017) among other franchise records.

This also marked the 25th consecutive field goal that Butker has made against Denver in his career. He’s been with the Chiefs since 2017, and this marks his ninth career game against the Broncos.

Butker also passed Hall of Fame kicker Jan Stenerud and now owns the second-most 50-plus yard field goals in franchise history with 18. He trails only Nick Lowery who has 20 50-plus field goals in his career.

The crazy thing is, Butker still is in the infancy of the season and the infancy of his career. He has five games left to add to his record of 50-plus field goals. He’s just 26 years old and should eventually break Lowery’s record.

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Chiefs’ Harrison Butker nails 56-yard field goal with an assist

Harrison Butker connected from 56 yards on a field goal for the Chiefs

You need every bit of help you can get this year when it comes to being a kicker in the NFL.

So, you won’t find Harrison Butker complaining one bit about losing style points for the 56-yard field goal he kicked in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

The boot had plenty of distance but needed a kiss from the upright to go through, which it got.

The Chiefs were up 10-0 and off and running in the battle of AFC West foes.

Chiefs’ Dave Toub thinks Harrison Butker can break NFL field goal distance record

#Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub gave his opinion on Harrison Butker’s ability to set a new field goal distance record. | from @EdEastonJr

Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl kicker Justin Tucker broke an NFL record in Week 3, connecting on a stunning 66-yard field goal to defeat the Detroit Lions. Tucker’s kick bested the longtime record of 64 yards held by Matt Prater.

Prater’s record stood for almost eight years. If Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker and special teams coach Dave Toub have their way, Tucker’s mark won’t last long.

Butker hit a 64-yarder in practice ahead of Week 1, earning his team a day off of practice. Toub said afterward that he thought Butker could hit a 70-yard field goal in the right conditions. During Thursday’s press conference, Toub doubled down.

“I know Butker can be in that range, and on the right day, he’d have a real shot at it in the right situation,” Toub told reporters. “But it’s not surprising that Tucker got the record. He is a great kicker, he’s got a great mindset, and his leg is so strong, but Butker — if there’s one guy that can do it and break the record, it’s Harrison. Even their coach told me that, because I congratulated the coach, and he told me that very thing — ‘Your guy can break it’ — and in the right situation, I believe he can.”

Last season Butker had a fantastic game on the road in a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, making two 58-yard field goals, including one in overtime. Both kicks are the longest in Butker’s career — for now.

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Chiefs K Harrison Butker quietly off to a solid start in 2021

#Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker is having a very solid start to the 2021 NFL season. | from @TheJohnDillon

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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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Harrison Butker nailed a clutch 64-yard field goal to give the Chiefs a day off from practice

Nice work.

Andy Reid pulled off one of the oldest tricks in the NFL coaching book: He told Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker that he had to hit a field goal in order to give the team Monday off from practice.

But this wasn’t any field goal. This one was from 64 yards out, which would tie the record for the longest boot in NFL history set by the Denver Broncos’ Matt Prater in 2013.

The video from the Chiefs show no one on the defensive side of the ball doing much of anything — hey, they’re in line for a day off too! — but it’s still super impressive either way.

Good work, Harrison, and it proves he could nail one from there in a real game if asked.

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WATCH: Harrison Butker nails 64-yard field goal, earns Chiefs a day off practice

#Chiefs K Harrison Butker made a high-stakes kick during practice last week, earning Monday off of practice for his team.

Kansas City Chiefs K Harrison Butker is no stranger to being a hero for his team in high-leverage situations, hitting plenty of game-winning field goals during his career. This time around, the fifth-year veteran was a hero because of his clutch kicking during practice.

The Chiefs released a video on their social media channels on Monday, showing Andy Reid challenging his kicker to a little kicking contest. The stakes in the contest?

“If he makes it then we have Monday off,” Reid said. “No pressure, but have at it brother.”

The catch is that Butker had to hit a 64-yard field goal in order to win the day off for his team. Had it been in a game it would have tied the NFL’s record for the longest field goal, a record owned by former Broncos K Matt Prater.

The results of this challenge were superb. Not only did Butker make the field goal, but it looked like it would have been good from 65 yards too. Once again a hero for his team, Butker helped earn the Chiefs a well-deserved day off on Labor Day.

The team will soon be back at it for their preparation against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1.

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