How has Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker performed post-knee injury?
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker is four games removed from his stint on injured reserve due to a knee injury, and he hasn’t played to his usual standard since returning.
Butker missed his lone field goal try, a 51-yard attempt, in KC’s loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. He’s missed two field goals and an extra point — backed up an additional 15 yards due to penalty — since returning.
Overall, it’s been an up-and-down season for Butker.
Butker has made 84% of his field-goal attempts. That percentage puts him tied for No. 23 in the NFL. As for extra points, Butker has gone 29-of-31 (93.5%). That extra-point percentage ranks No. 29.
His longest field-goal make has been from 53 yards, tied for 31st in the NFL.
For Butker, there’s been a difference between his play before his injury and after — as well as an apparent change in his form since returning.
Pre-injury (nine games) | Post-injury (four games) | |
Field goals | 18-of-20 (90%) | 3-of-5 (60%) |
Extra points | 21-of-22 (95.5%) | 8-of-9 (88.9%) |
Longest field goal | 53 yards | 44 yards |
Diving deeper into Butker’s numbers, he is 2-of-5 (40%) on field-goal attempts of 50 yards or longer this season. He also had his first-ever missed field goal within the 20-29-yard range during the 2024 season.
His percentage from 50-plus yards is the lowest of his career, dating back to the 2022 season when he went 3-of-7 (42.9%) from that distance. That season, he made only 75% of his field-goal attempts, the lowest of his career.
Butker’s field goal percentage in this season is the second-lowest of his career. That said, he had plenty of postseason heroics the last time his field goal percentage wasn’t the best.
This story was originally published January 7, 2025 at 6:30 AM with the headline "How has Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker performed post-knee injury?."
