Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker faced criticism after a rare error on “Sunday Night Football” during Week 3, which sparked a wave of reactions on social media.
In the third quarter, after JuJu Smith-Schuster’s touchdown, Butker missed an extra point attempt wide right, leaving the Chiefs ahead 22-14. Although the Chiefs ultimately won against the Atlanta Falcons, this marked Butker’s first missed PAT since Week 15 of the 2022 season.
Butker, a reliable kicker for the NFL, gained additional attention during the 2024 offseason following a contentious commencement speech at Benedictine College in May, where he addressed topics such as the LGBTQ community and gender roles.
These events converged on Sunday night, leading to a surge of critical social media comments. One fan remarked, “Everytime Harrison Butker misses a field goal, a woman graduates college, gets a career, and a man changes a diaper.”
Another added, “Cris Collinsworth and Mike Tirico using a Harrison Butker missed XP as an opportunity to plug girls’ flag football is f****** chef’s kiss.” Another commenter noted, “Falcons lost, but Butker missed an extra point and that was cool and fun!”
After the speech, a league spokesperson clarified that Butker’s views “are not those of the NFL as an organization.”
Butker and the Chiefs signed a four-year, $25.6 million contract extension in August, making him the NFL’s highest-paid kicker at $6.4 million annually. So far this season, he has successfully completed all seven field goal attempts and six of seven PAT attempts, with a touchback rate of 76.5% on kickoffs.
The Chiefs improved to 3-0 and will face Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4.
