Harrison Butker: 69-Yard FG, Then Misses Cost KC

Harrison Butker made the kick everyone will clip and missed the two that decided it. Kansas City's kicker drilled field goals of 45, 58, and 69 yards in the first half Saturday night, CBS Sports' play-by-play had the distances, then missed an extra point and a 43-yarder that would have put the Chiefs back in front. Tampa Bay won 16-15 at Raymond James Stadium. Patrick Mahomes sat. Justin Fields started. The night still turned on the kicker.

"You've got to make your kicks. Miss an extra point, miss a game-winner. That's what I care about, not the 69-yarder or whatever it was," Butker said, per ESPN and CBS. The 69-yarder came as the first half expired, after Tampa Bay turned it over on downs at the Kansas City 49 with 3 seconds left. Andy Reid sent Butker out. It would have been an NFL record if the preseason counted. Cam Little's 68-yarder is the regular-season mark.

Harrison Butker's 45, 58, and 69, then the misses

Fields led the drive that produced the 45-yarder. Rookie Garrett Nussmeier's first series set up the 58-yarder. The 69-yarder made it 9-0 at the half, ESPN wrote. Butker was 3-for-3 from distance before the break. The second half was the other movie. Emmett Johnson's 1-yard run made it 15-7 late in the third. A penalty wiped out Butker's extra point. The retry, from 42 or 43 yards after the hold, hit the right upright and bounced away, CBS and ESPN both had it. Kansas City led 15-7 instead of 16-7.

Tampa Bay answered. Then Butker got a 43-yarder to retake the lead and pushed it. KMBC had him saying the 43-yarder "felt good off my foot." He finished 3-of-4 on field goals and 0-of-1 on extra points. Nine fantasy points. One-point loss. "I feel like throughout my career when I've had big kicks, it's been a struggle to finish the game or the next game," he told ESPN. "Maybe I need some more caffeine for the second half or something."

Mahomes sat, Fields started, Reid still backs the kicker

Mahomes (knee) watched in street clothes for a second straight preseason game, which Patrick Mahomes' injury report had as the plan. Justin Fields' first-half line was 9 of 12 for 64 yards before Nussmeier took over. Reid did not hang the loss on the quarterbacks. "Butker, until the last field goal, had a heck of a day. But he'll be the first to tell you that's the one he'll remember," Reid said, per ESPN. "He'll learn from it and move on. He's made enough of those big ones for us that we know what he can do."

Kansas City is 0-2 in the preseason. The finale is Friday against Seattle. Butker's 69-yarder will live on social media. The two misses are the ones that made it 16-15. Preseason stats do not go in the record book. The film still goes in the building.

Harrison Butker FAQ

How long was Harrison Butker's field goal vs the Buccaneers? 69 yards, as the first half expired, per CBS, ESPN, and the Associated Press. He also made 45 and 58-yarders in the first half.

Did Harrison Butker miss kicks in the 16-15 loss? Yes. He missed an extra point after a penalty forced a retry that hit the right upright, then missed a 43-yard field goal that would have put Kansas City back in front, ESPN and CBS reported.

Did Patrick Mahomes play? No. Mahomes sat with the knee injury. Justin Fields started. The game still turned on Butker's second-half misses, not the quarterback rotation.