Butker reflects on pivotal field goal in Chiefs' historic victory

Jan. 26—When the Chiefs took possession with just 13 seconds left in Sunday's AFC Divisional game against the Bills, kicker Harrison Butker said he knew he had to be ready.

"Every kick is a big kick," Butker said, "and I have to prepare for every series like I'm going to have a big kick."

After the Chiefs moved the ball 44 yards down the field in two plays, Butker was called on with three seconds to play and the season on the line.

"I got as many kicks as I could in the net," Butker said. "(I) just got prepared and got my mind mentally ready to go out there and make the kick we needed to go into overtime."

Butker sent the 49-yard field goal through the uprights to send the game into overtime, where the Chiefs went on to win.

At the end of one of the most improbable drives in Chiefs history, Butker, after saying he knew he would be ready if called upon, delivered when the Chiefs needed him most.

The Chiefs turned to Butker to save the season at the end of regulation. But that didn't come without earlier miscues

Butker's first field goal attempt of the night came at the end of the first half. From 50-yards out, Butker's kick glanced off the right upright. Early in the second half, Butker also missed an extra point.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said despite the missteps, his trust in Butker never wavered.

"Every once in a while, you're going to have a clunker or two, whether it's the snap, the hold, the kick—there are a lot of things that go into it," Reid said. "But we have the ultimate trust in him coming back, and we showed it coming right back to him."

That trust showed in Reid sending Butker out at the end of regulation. But after the first miss, Butker said he learned from the miss.

The final kick of regulation was from almost the exact same spot on the field as the first — same end, left hash, 49 yards out. Butker called the first miss a blessing for his redemption kick at the end.

"When you have a missed kick, you're able to kind of think about what you need to change, what you need to adjust," Butker said. "I thought the 50-yard left hash that direction, I adjusted my aiming point too much, kind of deviated a little too much from the game plan I kind of had in warm up."

Getting ready for the final kick, Butker said he used that earlier miss to improve in his second.

"After that missed kick, I kind of hit myself on the butt and said that I just need to stick with the game plan I had in the warmup and that's what I did for the 49-yarder," Butker said. "So, I almost had like a practice kick with the miss and was able to bounce back and take what I could from the miss and help me for the 49-yard left hash same direction."

After the Chiefs' historic victory, Butker said he reflected on the kick and how pivotal it was in keeping the season, and the Chiefs' budding dynasty, alive.

"It's not until after the game you're thinking wow, you know if I had missed that kick our season would be over and obviously, we have aspirations to go to our third Super Bowl in a row and win our second with this Coach Reid coached up team," Butker said. "You can't think about all those things and I just really try to stay in my zone and focus on what I can control and execute to the best of my ability."

Jacob Lang can be reached at jacob.lang@newspressnow.com. Follow him on twitter: @NPNowLang.