NFL Kicks of the Week, Week 2: Harrison Butker Wins It Twice in Overtime
By FKS Journal · Published · 4 min read
Harrison Butker had to win the same overtime twice. His 31-yarder put Kansas City ahead, the Colts answered with a field goal of their own, and with one second left in the extra period he went back out and hit from 40. Chiefs 33, Colts 30, on Sunday night at Arrowhead.
Kick of the Week: Harrison Butker, 40 yards, as overtime ran out
Overtime started tied at 27. Harrison Butker made a 31-yarder with 5:13 left to put Kansas City up 30-27. Under the regular-season rule that gives both teams the ball, Indianapolis got its chance, and Spencer Shrader tied it again from 38 with 3:15 left. Patrick Mahomes, who threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns, moved the Chiefs back into range with Kenneth Walker III. Butker's 40-yarder went through with one second on the clock.
Harrison Butker, 40 yards · Chiefs vs. ColtsMoment Walk-off winnerClock at the snap OT 0:01Score before TiedFinal Chiefs won 33-30Operation Snap: James Winchester · Hold: Matt AraizaConditions Outdoors, 71°F, wind 10 mphMake chance from distance and conditions (FKS model). The hash is not in public play-by-play, so the kick is drawn from the middle.
A 40-yarder is not a long kick. NFL kickers made 371 of 424 from 39 to 41 yards over the last five seasons, 87.5%. It earns the top spot because of the timing: the last snap of overtime, his second kick of the period, and a first half in which he missed a 51-yarder wide left. Teammate Chris Jones defended him afterward. Butker went 4-for-5 on the night.
Runner-up: Brandon Aubrey, 60 yards, Cowboys vs. Commanders
Brandon Aubrey, 60 yards · Cowboys vs. CommandersClock at the snap Q4 13:27Score before Cowboys up 14Final Cowboys won 37-20Operation Snap: Trent Sieg · Hold: Bryan AngerConditions Indoors (roof closed)Make chance from distance and conditions (FKS model). The hash is not in public play-by-play, so the kick is drawn from the middle.
Brandon Aubrey hit a 60-yarder early in the fourth quarter to put Dallas up 17 on Washington. Dallas won 37-20. It's the only 60-yard make of the week, and a 57% kick by our model.
Third: Chase McLaughlin, 59 yards, Bucs vs. Browns
Chase McLaughlin, 59 yards · Buccaneers vs. BrownsClock at the snap Q1 11:16Score before TiedFinal Browns won 23-19Operation Snap: Evan Deckers · Hold: Riley DixonConditions Outdoors, 86°F, wind 4 mphMake chance from distance and conditions (FKS model). The hash is not in public play-by-play, so the kick is drawn from the middle.
Chase McLaughlin hit a 59-yarder in the first quarter in Tampa and went 4-for-4. Cleveland still won 23-19. McLaughlin led the week in MAKE.
Fourth: Matt Gay, 59 yards, Raiders at Chargers
Matt Gay, 59 yards · Raiders vs. ChargersClock at the snap Q2 0:08Score before TiedFinal Raiders won 26-14Operation Snap: Alex Ward · Hold: AJ ColeConditions IndoorsMake chance from distance and conditions (FKS model). The hash is not in public play-by-play, so the kick is drawn from the middle.
Matt Gay hit a 59-yarder with eight seconds left in the first half, and the Raiders won 26-14 in Los Angeles. Earlier in the game, the Chargers' Cameron Dicker had hit the right upright from 58.
Fifth: Jake Elliott, 58 yards, Eagles at Titans
Jake Elliott, 58 yards · Eagles vs. TitansClock at the snap Q3 8:12Score before Eagles up 4Final Eagles won 24-20Operation Snap: Rocco Underwood · Hold: Braden MannConditions Outdoors, 92°F, wind 5 mphMake chance from distance and conditions (FKS model). The hash is not in public play-by-play, so the kick is drawn from the middle.
Jake Elliott hit from 58 in the third quarter to put Philadelphia up seven in Nashville, and the Eagles held on 24-20.
The one that got away
Cairo Santos, 23 yards · Bears vs. VikingsClock at the snap Q4 6:26Score before Bears down 3Final Vikings won 9-3Operation Snap: Beau Gardner · Hold: Tory TaylorConditions Outdoors, 68°F, wind 8 mphMake chance from distance and conditions (FKS model). The hash is not in public play-by-play, so the kick is drawn from the middle.
Chicago was down 6-3 to Minnesota with 6:26 left when Cairo Santos lined up a 23-yarder, about as close to automatic as kicks get: NFL kickers made 355 of 358 from 22 to 24 yards over the last five seasons. It was blocked, and the Bears lost 9-3. When a chip shot fails, look at the protection and the operation first.
Chase McLaughlin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), 4-4, MAKE +0.71
Every field goal try of 50+ yards, NFL Week 2 Made MissedEach mark sits where the ball was held; the goalposts are on the right. Marks at the same distance are spread out so they don't overlap.
How we pick the Kicks of the Week
Every made field goal gets a Kick Score: how unlikely it was (one minus the make chance, times 10), plus 0.15 for each yard past 45, plus the moment: 8 for a walk-off winner, 4 for a go-ahead kick, 3 for a tying kick, 1 for any other fourth-quarter or overtime kick in a one-score game. The moment counts in full on kicks with a make chance of 60% or less and shrinks on chip shots, so a long bomb can outrank a short winner. Make chances come from the same distance and conditions model behind the MAKE Rankings. A kicker can appear at most twice. Next week: NFL Kicks of the Week, Week 3: Tyler Loop's 56-Yard Walk-Off in Rio.
Data: nflverse play-by-play (CC BY 4.0); make chances, Kick Scores and MAKE by FKS.
43%Houston Texans, the highest share (174 of 404 points)
22%Buffalo Bills, the lowest share (105 of 481 points)
Kicker points are 3 per field goal and 1 per extra point, divided by each team’s points in the same games. A high share can mean a great kicker, or an offense that often stalls before the end zone, so read it next to MAKE.
Explore the Rankings
Field goals, kickoffs, punters and long snappers: leaders, every leaderboard and a full ranking table for each.
