Harrison Butker is building an impressive resume. The Kansas City Chiefs placekicker’s legacy continues to grow after connecting on Super Bowl 57’s game-winning field goal with 11 seconds remaining Sunday.
On Jan. 30, Butker clinched the AFC championship game with a 45-yarder with eight seconds left.
Calling Adam Vinatieri.
Well, not quite yet. Vinatieri, after all, connected on two last-second, Super Bowl-clinching field goals.
But, if Butker remains with the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs over the next few seasons, more postseason dramatics could be kicked around.
FOR. THE. LEAD. pic.twitter.com/Qqq8DefGx6
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) February 13, 2023
Harrison Butker Rebounded From Tough Week 1 Injury
As Butker lined up for the game-winning kick Sunday, he mentally blocked out his missed 42-yarder in the first quarter, an attempt that caromed off the left upright. He tried not to ponder the slippery field conditions at State Farm Stadium.
Forgotten, for the moment, was the injury he suffered the last time he visited the desert stadium.
During a Week 1 win over the host Arizona Cardinals, Butker injured his ankle, sidelining the 27-year-old for nearly a month. Upon his return, Butker missed three of his first seven field-goal attempts.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid remained patient.
“The only reason he had problems is because of that high-ankle sprain,” Reid said, as reported by CBSSports.com. “That’s rough on a kicker, especially on that plant leg, so it was just a matter of getting through that.
“He’s very tough.”
And reliable.
During his career, Butker has made 88.2 percent of his field-goal conversions, grading out as one of the NFL’s top special teamers.
Kansas City Chiefs' Harrison Butker Celebrates on Field with His Kids After Super Bowl Win: Photos https://t.co/Sv9ncXMwFL
— People (@people) February 13, 2023
Butker Joining Ranks Of Top NFL Placekickers
When the Eagles rallied to tie the score at 35-35 in the fourth quarter Sunday, Butker started preparing mentally, attempting to channel three other clutch Super Bowl moments:
- Jim O’Brien kicking a 32-yard field goal with five seconds remaining as the Baltimore Colts upended the Dallas Cowboys, Colts, 16-13, in Super Bowl V.
- Vinatieri drilling a 48-yarder as time expired, clinching the Patriots’ 20-17 win over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.
- Vinatieri booting a 41-yarder with four seconds left, lifting the Patriots to a 32-29 win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
So concerned was he with Sunday’s field conditions, Butker wore competing brands of shoes during the game-winner. On his kicking foot, he laced up a Nike cleat and on his plant foot, he wore an Adidas cleat.
Both companies’ marketing departments are undoubtedly working to creatively capitalize on that arraignment.
So far in his career, Butker moved the 2021 AFC title game into overtime with a 44-yard field goal and sent the divisional-round contest that year into an extra stanza, capping the Chiefs’ much-publicized 13-second drive. In 2018, Butker also sent the AFC championship game into overtime with a 39-yarder.
Clutch.
Calling Vinatieri.
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