Getty Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker.
The Kansas City Chiefs have officially ruled out one player for their Week 2 bout against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football: kicker Harrison Butker.
Starting right guard Trey Smith (ankle, questionable) is the only other player with a game designation on the team’s final injury report for Week 2.
In the Chiefs’ 44-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, Butker injured his ankle. The injury forced Butker away from doing kickoffs, which is why safety Justin Reid was seen doing kickoffs and the point after attempts for the Chiefs.
Butker did remain on the field goal unit after the injury but had to shorten his wind-up to prevent further injury. Yet, he still made the lone field goal attempt he had following the injury from 54 yards out.
#Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker took just one step in his wind up before he made the 54-yard field goal. Incredible. #ChiefsKingdom
Although the Chiefs showed a lot of confidence in Reid’s kicking ability in-game, the team decided to sign a backup option ahead of the Week 2 divisional matchup in the event that Butker wasn’t healthy enough to play. After having a “six-man kicker derby” on Monday, September 12, Kansas City signed kicker Matt Ammendola to its practice squad.
Ammendola entered the league undrafted out of Oklahoma State in 2021. He signed with the New York Jets in July of 2021 and played in 11 games for them during the 2021 season. During that season, Ammendola made 13-of-19 field goal attempts and 14-of-15 point-after attempts, according to Pro Football Reference.
Ammendola was waived by the Jets in March and spent time with the Houston Texans this summer.
Twitter Reacts to Butker’s Injury
Twitter users reacted to Butker and Smith’s injuries leading up to Kansas City’s Thursday night game against the Chargers.
“Damn man.. in Ammendola we trust. Also hoping @treysmith will be playing tomorrow but no rush g, make sure you’re at 100,” one Twitter user wrote.
“I wonder how that would work on fantasy points if Reid did do the XP’s and you had @Chiefs defense wouldn’t that count as double points …. Hmmmmmmm,” another user wrote.
“Nick is solid to plug in in place of Smith.. we love him dearly in kc… The [Smith] injury seemed odd he was pushing the pile and then pulled up some how. That’s my dawg. I really want to see him have a.long hof type o career,” another user wrote.
“Better now than later in the season. I really hope they will recover fast and come back to the field soon,” another user wrote.
@Chiefs Better now than later in the season. I really hope they will recover fast and come back to the field soon.
Toub Gushes Over Butker’s Week 1 Effort
Speaking to the media on September 12, Chiefs special team coordinator and assistant head coach, Dave Toub, gushed over Butker making the 54-yard field goal in Week 1 after suffering his ankle injury.
“Yeah, it’s very rare. You don’t usually do one-step, 54-yarders. You warm up, you start a practice, or you warm up at a game and do one-steppers just to begin the game or start your warmup,” Toub said. “That’s really all you do. You don’t really try to kick a long field goal from there, but it shows you how long his leg is, though. That’s really what it does.”
Toub went on to call Butker one of the top players at his position in the league.
“Yes. He’s right there neck and neck with him (Justin Tucker) in my opinion, but I’m a little biased. His work ethic and everything about Butker is ‘first rate’. So, I’d put him right up in there. He’s one and two right there. Those two, for sure.”