Tag: Matthew Wright

Is Harrison Butker playing today? Injury updates for Chiefs kicker

#Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker is dealing with a knee injury. Here are the latest updates. 

The Kansas City Chiefs have been without their starting kicker Harrison Butker since he was placed on injured reserve in November.

Will Butker be ready to make his first appearance since Week 10 when the Chiefs face off against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon?

Here is the latest info on his status ahead of today’s matchup against the Browns:

Harrison Butker injury update

Butker took time off after he underwent knee surgery, which was expected to keep him on the sidelines for a few weeks. He returned to practice on Wednesday and was activated from Kansas City’s injured reserve list on Saturday.

How long will Harrison Butker be out?

Butker is expected to make his comeback this afternoon. His activation from the Chiefs’ injured reserve list coincided with the release of Matthew Wright, who had been filling in for Butker in Kansas City’s starting lineup.

Chiefs kicker depth chart

Butker is the Chiefs’ only active kicker. Kansas City still has Spencer Shrader under contract, but he is currently on the Chiefs’ injured reserve list.

Report: Chiefs to release Matthew Wright, clear way for Harrison Butker’s return

The Kansas City #Chiefs released kicker Matthew Wright on Saturday, clearing the way for Harrison Butker to return in Week 15.

According to a report from NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Kansas City Chiefs are set to release kicker Matthew Wright and welcome Harrison Butker back to their starting lineup in Week 15.

The news comes just a day before the defending Super Bowl champions’ matchup against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field and could have huge implications for Kansas City’s special teams unit.

Butker was placed on the Chiefs’ injured reserve list on November 15, and Kansas City initially signed kicker Spencer Shrader to replace him. Shortly thereafter, Shrader was injured, which led to the Chiefs’ decision to sign Wright in Week 13.

Wright was nearly perfect on his field goal attempts through two games in Kansas City, missing just one attempt in nine three-point tries.

Butker’s return to the starting lineup should prove to be a boon for Dave Toub’s special teams unit as the Chiefs make their push toward January’s AFC playoffs.

Chiefs Dave Toub reveals injury recovery timeline for Harrison Butker: ‘He just started kicking’

Kansas City #Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub reveals injury recovery timeline for Harrison Butker: ‘He just started kicking’ | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub spoke with reporters on Thursday about kicker Harrison Butker’s injury recovery progress.

“He looked good. We got to see how he responds. He’s going to kick again today.” said Toub. And put a little bit more on him. And I think he looks pretty good. We’ll see.”

The Chiefs have managed well without Butker, utilizing Spencer Shrader and Matthew Wright in his place. The latter won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his efforts against the Los Angeles Chargers.

“If Harrison (Butker) is back, he’s back; I think he’ll get better as we keep him kicking more. He just started kicking again, as he’s starting to feel better, starting to get his power back, and it’s going to be a little bit before we, you know, he’s a hundred percent,” said Toub. “I’d say maybe two or three weeks, hitting the ground running time for playoffs. So, we got him back on that horse and back out there and going again. I mean, he had surgery on his knee. So we have to remember that and manage him.”

Butker had successful knee surgery last month and is returning to playing shape for the postseason. The Chiefs hope he will bring the consistency and strong leg that have helped them capture three Super Bowl titles.

Will Harrison Butker play this week? Injury updates for Chiefs kicker

Kansas City #Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker is dealing with a knee injury. Here are the latest updates. 

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker returned to practice this week after spending time on the team’s injured reserve list.

In Butker’s absence, the Chiefs have relied on two kickers—Spencer Shrader and Matthew Wright—to lead their special teams unit.

Will Butker be available for Kansas City’s Week 15 matchup against the Cleveland Browns?

Harrison Butker injury update

Butker was a limited participant in the Chiefs’ practice sessions on Wednesday and Thursday. He does not yet have a game designation.

How long will Harrison Butker be out?

Though Butker could be activated at any time, it seems likely that Kansas City will continue to rely on Wright until he returns to full participation in practice.

Chiefs kicker depth chart

Wright is currently the Chiefs’ starting kicker while Butker remains on Kansas City’s injured reserve list. When Butker returns to the field, Wright will likely be waived and may have a chance to return to the Chiefs’ practice squad or be picked up by another team.

Top highlights from Chiefs’ Week 14 win vs. Chargers on ‘Sunday Night Football’

See all the top highlights from the Kansas City #Chiefs’ Week 14 win over the Los Angeles #Chargers on ‘Sunday Night Football’

The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers took the national stage for an AFC West showdown on Sunday Night Football in Week 14. The action ended with another narrow 19-17 victory for the Chiefs, which clinched Kansas City its ninth-consecutive division title.

Both defenses kept the game a low-scoring affair but Los Angeles wasn’t able to keep Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco from rushing for a total of 55 yards on 14 carries in his return to action after a stint on injured reserve.

Kansas City’s kicker Matthew Wright nailed a game-winning field goal as time expired, which ultimately sealed the Chiefs’ victory.

Despite the lack of offense, Sunday’s game was packed full of exciting plays that kept fans entertained in primetime after an excellent slate of matchups on the Week 14 schedule.

Take a look at the top plays from this divisional battle between the top two teams in the AFC West:

Top Highlights

Chiefs K Matthew Wright earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after game-winning field goal

Kansas City #Chiefs kicker Matthew Wright earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after game-winning field goal | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs thrillingly escaped Week 14 with their victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, clinching a ninth straight AFC West division title. Kicker Matthew Wright’s dramatic game-winning field goal and contributions throughout the game sealed the impressive home win.

For his efforts against Los Angeles, Wright earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors, an unexpected accomplishment from the Chiefs’ third kicker this season playing above expectations. He is the second Kansas City player to win in the special teams category following Leo Chenal’s Week 10 performance, blocking the potential game-winning field goal against the Denver Broncos.

Wright converted all four field goal attempts, including the game-winning 31-yard field goal, with no time remaining on Sunday Night Football. This is the second-career Special Teams Player of the Week award for Wright, becoming the second Chiefs kicker to win the honor in the past 10 seasons, joining five-time winner Harrison Butker.

Wright becomes the second former UCF kicker to win multiple Special Teams Player of the Week awards, joining 15-time winner Matt Prater. Since replacing injured kicker Spencer Shrader in the lineup, Wright has stepped into clutch scenarios for Kansas City and has delivered, keeping their top AFC record intact.

Chiefs special teams standout doesn’t see himself as a third-stringer

Kansas City #Chiefs standout Matthew Wright doesn’t see himself as a third-string guy | @EdEastonJr

In his second game with the Kansas City Chiefs this season, kicker Matthew Wright went four-for-four on field goals and added one PAT for 13 total points in the 19-17 Week 14 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. The consecutive impactful performances have highlighted the well-traveled kicker.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid responded to a media question on Monday that Matthew Wright does not want to be viewed as a third-string guy during his weekly Zoom press conference.

“Yeah, I think he’s (Matthew Wright) got a quiet confidence about him. I think he realizes that he’s a legitimate kicker; at least, that’s the persona he presents to everybody.” Reid said. “I think all (of) the guys on the team have confidence in him. We’re not sitting there going, ‘Hey listen, we have some guy that’s never done this before and doesn’t have a track record with us.’ He comes in, and he just goes, ‘Okay, line me up, and let’s go.”

Wright connected on a doink off the goalpost 31-yard game-winning field goal with one second left on the clock to seal Kansas City’s victory over the Chargers and claim their ninth-straight AFC West division title. He added field goals from 47 yards, 33 yards, and 50 yards in the win. His four field goals tie a single-game career-high.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid discusses Justin Reid’s kickoff decision vs. Chargers: ‘Doesn’t hurt’

Kansas City #Chiefs head coach Andy Reid discusses Justin Reid’s kickoff decision vs. #Chargers: ‘Doesn’t hurt’ | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke to reporters during his weekly Monday Zoom press conference. He provided insight into Justin Reid serving as the kicker on kickoffs during the Week 14 victory over the Chargers.

“Just his (Justin Reid) length of kickoffs,” said Reid. “The ability to kick it into the endzone there – consistently.”

The Chiefs are on their third kicker this season due to injuries, and Matthew Wright is valuable for his accuracy in field goal scenarios. He hasn’t been viewed as having a strong leg, and with the new kickoff rules this season, Reid fits the bill for an opportunity to show his extra skills.

“Yeah, that doesn’t hurt, for sure, but initially, it was the length,” said Reid. “He’s (Justin Reid) got a strong leg, and we thought maybe he could put it back there in the endzone.”

https://youtube.com/shorts/IP0398hlrrE?si=d-V9GG5tU5VKDQ8W

Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub mentioned the option of using Reid on kickoffs during training camp because of his ability to get physical on tackles if necessary.

Chargers defense can’t make critical stops in loss to Chiefs: ‘Just gotta finish the game’

The defense was good for most of the game, but couldn’t come up with a stop when needed the most.

The Chargers defense was effective for nearly the entire game before failing to make a stop on the final drive in Sunday night’s 19-17 loss to the Chiefs.

“Just gotta finish the game,” Daiyan Henley said, per the team’s official website.

They had their chances, however.

It started with a kickoff penalty on Cameron Dicker, which allowed the Chiefs to start at their own 40.

On 3rd-and-10, Patrick Mahomes connected with Xavier Worthy for a 14-yard gain to move the chains.

A few plays later, on 3rd-and-7 at the Chargers 20, Mahomes evaded an attempted open-field tackle by Henley and hit a wide-open Travis Kelce for nine yards and the first down to let the clock bleed.

“We thought it was likely [they would throw],” Jim Harbaugh said. “We predicted a couple of those, the roll pass early. But just executed, it wasn’t a surprise or a shock.”

Matthew Wright’s 31-yard field goal hit off the left upright and in for the win as time expired.

It was the same story, just a different day with Mahomes getting the ball at the end of the game.

The Chargers held the Chiefs to less than 300 yards of total offense. Mahomes was kept contained for most of the game and sacked three times, but that doesn’t matter when you can’t close out Kansas City.

“We gotta be ready,” Derwin James said. “As a defense, we want to be on the field, we want that challenge and I feel like we didn’t make the plays in the third and fourth quarter to get off the field.

“I know looking at the tape, we’re going to be sick to our stomach,” James added.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid describes the game-winning drive vs. Chargers: ‘I wasn’t too worried’

Kansas City #Chiefs head coach Andy Reid describes the game-winning drive vs. #Chargers: ‘I wasn’t too worried’ | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs thrillingly won another game over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night, showcasing excellent late-game execution. Head Coach Andy Reid spoke with reporters after the game, breaking down the strategy for the final moments.

“I mean, I have trust in Matthew (Wright), so I was good with where we were. Percentages are pretty high; I know we’ve won a game in that same situation on the opposite end, so I get it, but he’s a solid kicker,” said Reid. “I wasn’t too worried about it once we got down in there. Now to get down in there was a nice job by our guys. That play that Pat (Mahomes) and (Travis) Kelce made right there at the end was something – that’s not quite the way it was drawn up.”

The completion from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce setting up Wright’s opportunity was drawn up differently, but his star players’ improvisation made it successful.

“It was a naked – with a back and a slide, and they zoned it off. Pat (Mahomes) had it in his hands, which is important, and on the move, which is important. He does some good things with that, and then we had some people coming to him.” said Reid. “Listen, I thought the Chargers did a nice job with that, but they zoned us off; that’s more of a man, though. They had been playing man up to that point, they had been zero blitzing us so if they would have done that, that would have been a great call.”

The Chiefs are finding ways to win games late and will have the opportunity to clinch the top seed in the conference within the next few weeks.