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The Kansas City Chiefs secured another nail-biting victory in Week 2, beating the Cincinnati Bengals in a thrilling 26-25 Sunday afternoon matchup. As has often been the case between these two AFC rivals, the game came down to the wire, with Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker nailing the game-winning 51-yard field goal as time expired.
“I can’t say enough about Butker and that kick,” head coach Andy Reid said postgame. “He’s so reliable, and we just appreciate how he goes about his business. As good a kicker as he is, he’s an even better person. I appreciate him all the way around.”
It wasn’t Kansas City’s cleanest performance, as self-inflicted mistakes throughout the game culminated with them trailing 25-23 with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Three turnovers — including two interceptions by quarterback Patrick Mahomes —put the Chiefs in a hole, but they managed to mount a crucial final drive, which set up Butker’s go-ahead field goal. The close victory was a testament to the team’s grit and big-game experience.
“Until the time hits zero, there’s a chance you can win the football game,” Mahomes explained. “We’ve done that in so many different ways, so we’re prepared. We come in with the mentality that if we get the football with a chance to win, we’re going to do it. We were able to do that today.”
And while Mahomes admits to being nervous about not having the outcome directly placed on his shoulders, he had full confidence in Butker’s ability to execute when the team needed him to the most.
“I’m obviously nervous because it’s out of my hands,” Mahomes admitted. “I don’t have a chance to go out there and make a play. But at the same time, like when I step on the field in that fourth quarter drive with two minutes or whatever it is, and all I need is a field goal, I just really know I got to cross the 50 and Harrison is going to go out there and knock it through. It’s a special thing to have a kicker like that. I’m super appreciative of it, and he’s going to keep making them.”
As for Butker, the pressure-packed moment felt routine. Before the final kick, he already hit a 19-yard field goal along with both of his extra point attempts. The veteran kicker says he treats every kick with importance, which helps him stay composed when the stakes are high.
“During practice, I try to put a ton of pressure on myself,” Butker said. “Coach Reid and coach [Dave] Toub do a great job with that. If I can make my set of eight kicks on Wednesdays and Thursdays for a Sunday game, feel like game-winners, and if I can make my 10 kicks going both ways in pregame warmups feel like game-winners, then when I get to the game-winning moment, nothing different should happen. I shouldn’t surprise myself by hitting a bad or a good kick. It should be the exact same.”
Of course, nothing can simulate the pressure of hitting the clutch kick. Butker acknowledges the heightened focus that comes with a game-winner and says he just tries to remain focused on executing something he’s done on a consistent basis over the course of his eight-year career.
“I think when you are driving down the field for a game-winning kick, my focus is going to be greater than any other kick that game,” Butker noted. “I mean, it’s hard not to be more dialed in, so I would expect to have a better kick for a game-winning kick being more dialed in and locked in for that moment.”
Moving forward, the Chiefs have some things they need to clean up but will gladly take the hot 2-0 start to the season, especially after beating two of their biggest AFC rivals. Mahomes acknowledges the room for improvement and hopes to play a much cleaner game as they prepare for next week’s primetime matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.
“Those are two great football teams we played these last two weeks,” Mahomes said. “Teams we’ve played in AFC championship games and to be able to come out with wins at home, that’s important. Obviously, we feel like we can get a lot better, and so, we’re going to clean up the mistakes. Especially on the offense, it starts with me, and we will be a better team forward as the season goes on. It’ll be a great challenge next weekend on Sunday Night Football in Atlanta.”
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