The Kansas City Chiefs played an incredibly clean game in their 30-17 victory over the Detroit Lions in Week 6. One of the few blemishes on the night was a big, ugly one: placekicker Harrison Butker shanked
the point-after attempt following the Chiefs’ first touchdown of the evening. It looked awful from the moment it took flight.
The flub kept the Chiefs’ lead to three points instead of four — a subtle factor that could easily have hurt Kansas City more than it did against a top-tier opponent in primetime. But it was also Butker’s third PAT miss this season. He also has three missed field goals this year — and three of Butker’s six missed kicks have been at 40 yards or less (One of his extra-point attempts was at 48 yards after a penalty was called on the scoring play).
But Kansas City special teams coordinator Dave Toub thinks he knows what’s been wrong.
“It’s just about focus on the little things,” he told reporters on Thursday. “The short field goals [must get] just as much focus as the long field goals. He’s been solid in practice. We’re just going to keep grinding on this thing.”
Butker has missed kicks in five of the Chiefs’ six games. In the 31-28 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Butker did not attempt a field goal and converted all four of his extra points. But his last kickoff went out of bounds, giving Jacksonville the ball at the 40-yard line with 1:45 left. The Jaguars scored on the drive — and the Chiefs were unable to respond.
Toub reminded his listeners that Butker has worked on changing his technique over recent seasons, making it possible to slip into old habits.
“It’s like changing a golf swing,” offered Toub. “You revert back. He kind of reverted back. [His] leg collapsed a little bit [on Sunday]; it makes him spin out a little bit more.”
The team is working with Butker to fix that.
“We’re trying to keep that thing more rigid and stiff so he’s finishing downfield,” said Toub. “That’s really what it comes down to. That’s about focus — focusing every time with his technique.”
The willingness for Toub to be direct about Butker’s struggles is refreshing — but also important. According to Pro Football Reference, Butker has the lowest point-after conversion rate among 25 qualified kickers. He is making just 79% of his field goal attempts — the second-lowest rate of his career.
And remember: this is without Butker dealing with an injury this season.
“It’s mental. It’s all mental,” repeated Toub. “That’s what I’m talking about: focus. You have the technique. You practice it 1,000 times. It’s just about repeating it — and not letting that old technique creep in. If anybody played golf, it’s the same thing. It happens.”
Even though Toub has coached football for nearly 40 years, there probably isn’t anything he can tell Butker that the ninth-year, three-time Super Bowl champion doesn’t already know.
“I’m laid back,” said Toub of his relationship with his placekicker. “I let him figure it out — because he knows. As soon as he missed it, he knew exactly what happened. You don’t need to get over on the net with him, cranking on him.
“He bounced back. All of his other kicks were great — every one of them was right down the middle. We just have to keep pounding it. He’ll get better and better. By the time we get to the most important games, he’ll be Butker.”
