The blowout 44-21 victory on Sunday for the Kansas City Chiefs sent a clear message to the rest of the league. Kansas City dominated all facets of the game, including special teams, during a moment where it seemed as if things would be bleak.
The Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker rolled his ankle in the first quarter after a kickoff leading him to temporarily leave the game. Safety Justin Reid, who had done some kicking during training camp and the preseason, filled in admirably. Reid stepped in to go one of two on PATs and booted several kick-offs deep into the endzone before Butker’s eventual return.
Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub commented on being comfortable with the prospect of Reid attempting a field goal during the game, but only at a certain distance.
“I told (Head Coach) Andy (Reid) during the game (that) if we had to keep going with him, I thought that if we got the ball on the 25-yard line, we’d be good with him,” said Toub. “Which would be a 43-yarder or so, yeah.”
Reid, who converted a field goal from 60 yards or more during practice, would’ve needed some time to prepare for a long-range attempt properly. Toub understood the risk, but wasn’t willing to put Reid out there for the 54-yard field goal made by Butker at the end of the first half. They had a contingency plan to leave the offense on the field if Butker was unable to return to the game.
“I mean, that’s as far back as I’d want to take him,” said Toub. “That’s why there was no thought in him hitting that long one. If we didn’t have (Harrison) Butker at that time, if we didn’t think we had Butker, we probably would’ve just went for it right there. I think that was a little bit too far out of his range right there, realistically.”
Reid likely won’t get much kicking work in Week 2, with the Chiefs adding former Jets K Matt Ammendola to the practice squad. It’s good, however, to know what he’s capable of should something happen in the future.
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