Jim Nantz set the scene as Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker trotted onto the field at Arrowhead Stadium for a 56-yard field goal at the end of the first half against the New York Jets.
“You can feel the tension in the building,” Nantz said.
A week earlier, Nantz and broadcast partner JJ Watt were on the call when Butker missed a crucial 54-yarder that contributed to the Chiefs' loss to the Denver Broncos on Nov. 1. His struggles are further scrutinized by the presence of Justin Tucker on the Chiefs' practice squad.
Tucker, once the NFL's most accurate kicker thanks to a decade-plus of consistency with the Baltimore Ravens, has not kicked since the 2024 season. He has been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior by 16 massage therapists
and served a 10-game suspension last season, except no team offered him a deal until the Chiefs brought him onto the practice squad Oct. 28.
With the Chiefs leading 14-12, Butker missed his 56-yard attempt just off the right goalpost, as he could not hook it from right to left through the uprights. But the Jets lined up offside, and Butker and the Chiefs were gifted another opportunity from 51 yards away.
“The crowd’s letting him have it,” Nantz said.
The boos continued. Butker missed again – with almost an identical attempt to the one that just missed – and Kansas City went into the locker room with a two-point lead. He leads the NFL with seven missed field goals this season.
Harrison Butker misses back-to-back attempts in similar fashion following a penalty.
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 8, 2026
Chiefs fans boo loudly as they head to halftime pic.twitter.com/F1BfHbIiPT
What JJ Watt said about Justin Tucker
CBS cameras panned to Tucker, dressed in a black hoodie, on the sideline. Watt felt compelled to address the roster move after the broadcast duo spoke about it during the Broncos-Chiefs game.
“We talked about it last week ad nauseum, the distraction of bringing him in and the allegations and everything,” Watt said. “I don’t know why they’d bring him in and invite those distractions if you’re not going to make that change.”
To that point, CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson asked Chiefs head coach Andy Reid what he needed to see from Butker in the second half.
“I need to see it go through,” Reid said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Harrison Butker's struggles continue as JJ Watt rips Chiefs' Justin Tucker signing
