Inside Harrison Butker's missed field goals: How Chiefs kicker situation became one of NFL's worst

The Kansas City Chiefs return to the top of the AFC has come with a concerning trend with one of their longest-tenured players.

Kicker Harrison Butker, who was instrumental in Kansas City winning three Super Bowls, is producing his worst career season in 2026. The veteran is on pace to shatter his career high in missed field goals and has been one of the worst kickers in the NFL this season.

The kicking game is a very underrated part of winning in the NFL, which Butker proved when he was so reliable for so many years. Now, he needs to get back on track for the Chiefs to return to the Super Bowl, or else they might have to look elsewhere for a new kicker.

Here's a breakdown of Butker's issues on field goals this year.

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Harrison Butker stats

When Butker took over as the Chiefs' kicker in 2017, he instantly became one of the most reliable kickers in the NFL. In 2018 and 2019, Butker missed a combined 14 field goals and extra points on a combined 182 attempts, which was good for a stellar 92.3 percent mark.

Butker continued that success through the 2023 season, outside of a down year in 2022, but he began to slip a little more in 2024 and 2025, when he missed nine total field goals and six extra points. This year, that has only gotten worse, as he's already missed five field goal attempts on just 16 tries for a career-low 68.8 percent.

Over the last three seasons, Butker has missed 14 field goals on 79 attempts, which is good for just an 82.2 percent success rate. While his extra points haven't dropped in that time, Butker has certainly become less reliable in the field goal area.

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Harrison Butker 2026 missed field goals

In 2026 alone, Butker's 68.8 percent accuracy on field goals is among the worst marks in the league. The only kickers who have been less accurate than him are Harrison Mevis, whom the Los Angeles Rams cut, Eddy Piniero, and Daniel Carlson, while Trey Smack is tied with Butker for that number.

That's Butker's second missed field goal of the game. Would be a way more interesting game if he did his job properly. https://t.co/uINV4m69zd

It is notable, though, that almost all of Butker's misses have come from distance. On kicks of 49 yards or shorter, Butker has just one miss and nine makes, but on kicks of at least 50 yards, he has made just two of six attempts.

Kickers need to be able to make long field goals in the modern game, so this is still an issue for the Chiefs. However, distance being a problem is certainly something that the team could overcome if necessary.

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