Harrison Butker missed a 51-yard field goal in the first half Sunday. Four hours later he was the reason Kansas City was 2-0, and Chris Jones was at a podium daring anyone to say a word about it.
The Kick That Almost Cost Them
The Chiefs beat Indianapolis 33-30 in overtime at Arrowhead. Butker’s miss from 51 came in a first half where Kansas City left points on the field on each of its first four possessions, and for a while it looked like the kind of afternoon that follows a kicker around all season.
Then overtime arrived. Butker hit from 31 with 5:09 left, and when the Chiefs got the ball back, he drilled the 40-yard game-winner as time expired. He finished 4-of-5 on field goals and scored all six of Kansas City’s overtime points.
Jones Was Not Interested in Nuance
Chris Jones has never been subtle, and he was not about to start on behalf of his kicker.
“Listen, they talk about my kicker,” Jones said in his postgame press conference. “Y’all as a whole doubted my kicker last year, and I just got two middle fingers to y’all. I love Butt, and I trust in Butt, and I think Butt is the best kicker in the league.”
He kept going. “Even though we want Butt to make them all, sometimes you’re not, and it’s just the cycle of life, and that’s where adversity comes in. That’s why I support Butt: he stands tall every time, faces it like a man, and give two middle fingers to anybody who doubts my kicker.”
The Doubt Was Not Imaginary
Jones is defending his guy, but the criticism had a basis. Butker went 33-of-38 on field goals and 31-of-35 on extra points in 2025, scoring 130 points. The field goal percentage is fine. Missing four extra points is not what Kansas City pays for.
And they do pay. Butker negotiated his own four-year, $25.6 million extension in August 2024, a deal with roughly $17.8 million guaranteed and a $6.4 million average that made him the highest-paid kicker in football at the time. It runs through 2028.
When you take that money and hold that title, a missed 51-yarder in September gets discussed. That is the trade.
The Rest of the Game Was Absurd
Patrick Mahomes threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns. Travis Kelce caught nine passes for 101 yards and a score. Kenneth Walker III ran for 117 yards and added a 22-yard reception that set up the winning kick.
Indianapolis did not go quietly. Daniel Jones threw for 210 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and Jonathan Taylor ran for 92 yards and two scores. Andy Reid summed it up afterward with a shrug: “The ball bounces funny ways. Things happen.”
Why This Matters Beyond One Kick
The Chiefs are 2-0 and travel to Miami next. The Colts fall to 0-2.
Jones is the highest-paid defensive tackle in the sport and a player whose voice carries weight in that locker room. Him spending his podium time defending a kicker who had just missed is a specific choice, and it tells you something about how Kansas City has stayed on top for a decade.
Butker was going to hear about the 51-yarder all week regardless of the result. Jones made sure that if anyone brought it up, they would be arguing with him first.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.