The Kansas City Chiefs made plenty of mistakes during their 28-24 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 8.
Among them was a missed 54-yard field goal attempt by kicker Harrison Butker late in the fourth quarter. That set Denver’s offense up with good field position, which led to what would become the game-winning touchdown.
Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid Blames the Protection for Harrison Butker’s Missed FG
While speaking to the media on Monday, coach Andy Reid broke down Butker’s missed field goal. He stated that the Broncos overloaded the left side, which forced Butker to drive the ball more to the right. Reid also said a number of Denver defenders busted through, and that the Chiefs’ protection for Butker needs to do a better job.
“I could see what he (Butker) saw on that,” Reid said. “He ended up going too far right, but I can see why he went right, too. We never talk about the protection on that, and the heavy overloads. We had a heavy overload on the left side and penetration. That’s going to alter a kicker. It’s no different than what quarterbacks do when you’re throwing the football. Sometimes you have to alter the alignment there. He just went a little too wide on it. We got to do a better job on the protection for him.”
“He ended up going too far right, but I see why he went right … when you have a heavy overload on the left side and penetration there, that’s going to alter a kicker.”
Butker Continues to Get Support From Coaching Staff
As we know by now, Reid isn’t going to publicly criticize his players. However, Butker’s missed field goal against the Broncos falls much more on his shoulders than on his protection. It isn’t uncommon for defenders to overload one side while defending a field goal attempt. Butker, who is one of the highest-paid kickers in NFL history, should know how to handle those situations.
It appears that the Chiefs’ coaching staff will continue to let Butker try to work through his issues a little while longer. While talking with the media last week, special teams coordinator Dave Toub stated that the reason the team signed Justin Tucker was mostly in an effort to fix Butker’s struggles, rather than to replace him.
“Butker is our kicker,” Toub said. “We’re trying to get Butker right. That’s what this whole thing is about.”
Andy Reid Shifts Blame for Harrison Butker’s Costly Miss vs. Broncos