The Kansas City Chiefs’ special teams continue to make headlines this week. Their trusted kicker, Harrison Butker, is not getting the job done anymore. His miscues have already cost the Chiefs on several occasions this season. While Butker has been facing the heat for his poor game, special teams coach Dave Toub insists the issue is not physical but mental.

NBC’s McKenzie Nelson posted on X, “Dave Toub says the struggles are all mental with Harrison Butker.” Kansas City relied on Butker for years during game-winning moments. That trust is now being pushed to the limit as his season descends into a tailspin.

Toub continued to speak about his handling of the veteran kicker, stating that Butker doesn’t need to be checked on every moment. “I let him figure it out. As soon as he missed it, he knew exactly what happened.. you don’t need to sit there with him,” Toub added.

The special team’s coach further explained that he has been fine in practice, yet those performances haven’t translated into game-day success. Stats don’t lie, but Butker’s field-goal percentage has fallen to a career-low 78.6 percent (tied for 25th in the league), and his extra-point percentage of 82.4 percent ranks worst among kickers with over five attempts.

Following one of the NFL’s most consistent specialists, Butker stands at a turning point in his career. His precision has declined, which has cost Kansas City points.

Despite his struggles, head coach Andy Reid has continued to show confidence in his kicker. “I’m a big Harrison Butker fan,” Reid said, per A to Z Sports’ Charles Goldman. “I know how that thing goes. The first one, he didn’t hit very good, the PAT, then he came back strong and finished the rest of the night. We’re all human.” Still, as missed kicks pile up and field position errors mount, patience within the organization may be wearing thin.

The kicker himself is aware of the inconsistencies. After the Lions game, he said, ”Obviously, like you said, six straight weeks of a missed kick or a penalty like the Jaguars game…not good enough, not what you’re looking for. The first kick, I think I just rushed myself…started too early, was too aggressive to the ball, and didn’t really even give it a chance.”

Butker’s mistake is costing the Chiefs

Harrison Butker’s reliability has cost Kansas City 12 points till now—nine from blown field goals and three from blocked extra points. Those errors have changed the way Andy Reid runs his offense.

He has missed three extra points, with the latest one being from Sunday’s game. When Patrick Mahomes connected with Xavier Worthy for a six-yard touchdown in the 1st quarter, Butker failed to seal the extra point. Before this, in Weeks 1 and 3, he missed an extra point against the Chargers and the Giants, respectively.

In Week 5 against the Jaguars, he had a kickoff go out of bounds. In Week 4, he missed a field goal against the Ravens. In Week 3, he missed a field goal as well. The issues seem like he’s trying too hard, and while doing so, he may have lost his rhythm.

Fansided’s Ernesto Cova believes the Chiefs already have a capable backup in the pipeline. “They should turn to Matthew Wright, who’s already more than familiar with the organization and special teams coordinator Dave Toub, as his replacement. He’s been with the franchise three times already, including once last season.” Wright, on the Tennessee Titans practice squad, has performed well when called upon to fill the void and might be signed if the Chiefs make a change.

For now, the Chiefs are holding back on Butker, pinning their hopes on a mental reset to restore his accuracy. But as losses mount and lost points accumulate, the leash will get shorter, eventually. Kansas City’s playoff hopes depend on execution on all sides, and unless Butker cools off in a hurry, Andy Reid will have to deal with loyalty vs. necessity.