Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker missed a 54-yard field goal attempt late in the game against the Denver Broncos on November 2, 2026, a miss that set up Denver's game-winning touchdown drive. The Chiefs led by three points when a sack on third down pushed the attempt from 48 to 54 yards, and Butker pushed it wide right. It marked his third significant miss in two weeks, raising further questions about his reliability.
The Chiefs had signed former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker to their practice squad earlier in the week, a move that signaled potential competition for Butker's job. Tucker has been out of the league since 2024 following allegations of sexual misconduct reported by The Baltimore Banner.
After the game, head coach Andy Reid defended the decision to attempt the long field goal. "Those are hindsight. It ended up being what it was," Reid said. "But it's within Harrison's range." However, statistical trends suggest otherwise. Through 2023, Butker made 89.1% of his total field goals and 28 of 40 (70%) from beyond 50 yards. Since then, his overall accuracy has dropped to 82.2%, and he has converted only 8 of 18 (44.4%) from 50-plus yards. This season he is just 1-of-5 from that distance, including a miss from 45 yards in the previous week's loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
With Butker's consistency from long range declining sharply, the Chiefs face a critical decision on whether to continue trusting him in high-leverage situations or turn to Tucker or another option.
