The Kansas City Chiefs seem closer than ever to making a change at kicker.

Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub said the team would exhaust all options to get Harrison Butker right. The problem? Things haven’t improved for Butker. He’s still missing kicks in high-leverage moments. Ahead of halftime, he missed back-to-back field goals, 56-yard and 51-yard opportunities, after an injured Patrick Mahomes willed the team into field-goal range. Fans booed loudly as Butker left the field following the misses.

Speaking to CBS Sports sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson before heading into the locker room, Andy Reid’s tone changed.

“I need to see it go through,” Reid said.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid opens the door for a kicker change

After the game, Andy Reid brought up Butker and the kicking situation unprompted during his opening statement. So far, his answer has been simple: “Harrison Butker is our kicker.”

That changed Sunday afternoon, when his comments seemed to open the door to a change for the first time.

“I’m sure I’ll be asked about (K Harrison) Butker,” Reid said. “I’ll address that as we go. Throughout the week, I’ll look at everything, and no need to ask. That’ll be the answer that you get. So, I’m not making any decisions right now, today.”

This doesn’t guarantee the Chiefs will make a change, but it feels more likely than it has at any other point this season. Reid says he’ll review things throughout the week and decide ahead of Week 10’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Chiefs K Harrison Butker knows he needs to be better

Butker addressed his latest missed kicks in the locker room after the game. His assessment of the back-to-back misses? That the issue with those kicks was very much the same.

“I’ll have to watch it on film,” Butker said, via WHB 810 Sports Radio. “Just that same miss off to the right, unfortunately.”

Butker insisted he’s confident in himself and has the support of his teammates and the coaching staff. The work he’s putting in during practice simply isn’t translating to the distance kicks.

“No, I mean I try to be my best on every single kick, and just unfortunately those 50-plus yarders aren’t going in,” Butker said. “But I feel confident. I’m excited for the kicks, and just got to do better. You know, week after week saying the same thing, but you know it is what it is. I feel like I’m doing a good job in practice and pregame warm-up. I’m doing all right. I just got to make sure I transfer that to the game.”

Butker has missed 7 of 19 field goal attempts this season. His 63.2% field goal percentage is now the lowest among active kickers in the NFL this season. Only former Rams K Harrison Mevis has a lower percentage this season.

On the booes from the crowd at Arrowhead Stadium, Butker feels they’re deserved.

“I’m booing myself sometimes,” Butker said. “People are passionate; the fans are passionate. They want to win games. They want me to make kicks. I want to make kicks. It’s part of it. That’s what you sign up for, and I’ve got to be better.”

What are the Chiefs getting if they go to Justin Tucker in Week 10?

The Chiefs signed former Baltimore Ravens K Justin Tucker to the practice squad a few weeks ago. They’ve received their fair share of criticism for the decision. Tucker served a 10-game suspension after 16 massage therapists came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior spanning from 2012 through 2016.

On the field, Tucker is a five-time Pro Bowler and a seven-time All-Pro. In 2024, his last season in the NFL, he posted a 73.3% field goal percentage. For his career? The 36-year-old has an 89.1% field goal percentage. His career-long field goal is a 66-yard game-winning kick that stood as the longest in the NFL from 2021 through 2025.