The Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) go on the road for the first time during the 2024 NFL season to take on the Atlanta Falcons (1-1) on Sunday Night Football.
A huge reason the Chiefs remain undefeated heading into Week 3 is due to kicker Harrison Butker. Against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2, a defensive pass interference call during the Chiefs’ final drive opened the door for Butker to drill a 51-yard field goal as the clock expired. Kansas City won 26-25.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who threw for 151 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions against Cincinnati, told reporters after the game on September 15, “I just really know I gotta cross the 50, and Harrison is gonna go out there and knock it through. It’s a special thing to have a kicker like that.”
During a press conference on September 19, Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub revealed that Mahomes doesn’t even need to get to the 50-yard line. From what Toub sees in practice, he could much, much farther out.
Toub said that Butker’s max distance with no wind is 68 yards. “He’ll get that chance, eventually,” Toub said, while noting how he’s seen the Georgia Tech alum drill a field goal from 73 yards with wind at his back.
The longest field goal in NFL history was kicked by Baltimore Ravens star Justin Tucker, who connected on a 66-yarder in 2021.
Butker, who signed a four-year, $25.6 million extension this offseason, surpassed Tucker as the highest-paid kicker in NFL history. Should the Chiefs find themselves in position for a long field goal with favorable weather conditions, Butker is prepared to break Tucker’s NFL record.
The longest field goal of Butker’s NFL career is 62 yards, which he made in 2022.
