Getty Kansas City Chiefs kicker Matt Ammendola during Week 3 of the 2022 season.
There were a lot of issues for the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3 but the good news is a couple of those weak points are easily corrected.
For example, special teams play contributed to this loss in a major way. Arrowhead Pride reporter Pete Sweeney actually called it the “worst special teams effort I recall seeing from a Dave Toub-coached group in a long time.”
On the bright side, part of the problem there was a chain reaction caused by the injury to Harrison Butker and the lack of faith in replacement Matt Ammendola. Having said that, the Chiefs’ starting kicker should return to action either this week or next as he recovers from an ankle sprain to his non-kicking leg, so the only question is whether or not Kansas City needs a new kicker for an important Week 4 outing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
According to Sweeney and most of the KC media, Ammendola will likely be cleaning out his locker either way.
Chiefs Expected to Cut K Matt Ammendola After Week 3
“In his first game of relief of Harrison Butker (against the Los Angeles Chargers), Matt Ammendola was perfect,” Sweeney noted in the same postgame article. “Against the Colts on Sunday, he was far from that. Ammendola missed an extra point to begin the game, causing the Chiefs to go for two after their next touchdown. After making a 26-yarder, Ammendola missed from 34 in the fourth quarter — which made head coach Andy Reid and Toub later call a fake field goal attempt… The Chiefs also had a delay-of-game penalty called on a field goal.”
All of these critical kicking errors and decisions obviously came back to haunt Kansas City, considering they lost the game by three measly points that came on a last-second touchdown drive by the Indianapolis Colts.
Sweeney concluded that “next week, the kicker will either be Butker or someone not named Ammendola” — a strong statement implying the fill-in’s release from the practice squad.
ESPN’s Adam Teicher agreed that “the decision to fake a field goal in [the] fourth quarter against Colts appeared to be a serious lack of trust in Ammendola,” and Ed Easton Jr. of Chiefs Wire commented on the situation too.
“Ammendola didn’t do himself any favors if he was looking forward to impressing other [NFL] teams,” Easton wrote on September 26. “The Chiefs’ temporary kicker didn’t seem comfortable in Week 3… Expect Ammendola to be released promptly if Harrison Butker is anyway capable of kicking in Week 4.”
That last part is a guarantee, but it will be interesting to see what head coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach decide to do if Butker can’t go against the Bucs.
Andy Reid Gives No Hint on Matt Ammendola’s Status
Coach Reid did address the media on Monday the 26th but he provided no definite update on Ammendola and the situation at kicker.
“I can’t tell you that right now,” Reid responded when asked if he’d have a new insurance plan at kicker in Tampa Bay. “Brett’s [Veach] mulling through all of that and working through it right now.”
Andy Reid on whether the Chiefs would have a different kicker against Bucs on Sunday night: “I can’t tell you that. Brett (Veach) is working through all of that right now.”
Even if he didn’t say a move is coming, that’s not exactly a glowing endorsement from Reid. From the look of it, the front office is considering their options as they evaluate Butker’s recovery.
A small silver lining, Reid said the team has no new injuries heading into Week 4.
Breaking News Update: Chiefs Release Matt Ammendola
Unfortunately, ESPN NFL insider Field Yates did confirm that Ammendola was released from the practice squad later in the afternoon on September 26.
The Chiefs have released K Matt Ammendola from the practice squad. He struggled in Sunday’s loss to the Colts.
It’s unclear if the Chiefs will bring in more kickers to compete for the Week 4 job, or if Butker is nearing a return. We’ll continue to monitor the KC transactions over the coming hours and days.