25 January 2024
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — The AFC Championship will feature two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and two of the best kickers in the league.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker and Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker could be viewed as two of the best kickers in NFL history, with them being the top two in career field goal percentage.
Butker is slotted at second all-time in field goal percentage at 89.1%, while Tucker leads the list at 90.1%.
As the quarterbacks in this matchup have praised each other, the kickers have done the same.
Butker remembers watching Tucker while Butker was kicking for Georgia Tech in college.
“He posted a workout where he’s in his Texas clothes out in their stadium, hitting 10 kicks in a row, moving the tripod around, and just watching his form,” Butker said Wednesday.
The Chiefs kicker began the year making his first 23 field goals and ended the regular season hitting 33 of his 35 field goals (fourth in the NFL in FG%) and all 38 of his extra points.
“He’s stayed [at 90+ FG%] for such a long career, no injuries, he makes it look effortless. I think he’s really changed the kicking game and pushed it forward, which is great, so now all of us young kickers, we have someone to look to and say, you know it is possible to make these 65-yard field goals and make these big game-winning kicks. It is cool to see a kicker who is kind of an artist. He dances after. He just does a lot of stuff that is very different than most other kickers. He’s done an amazing job in his career,” Butker said.
The 34-year-old Tucker has been the Ravens kicker for 12 seasons since he entered the league. Some of the hardware and awards that could go to Butker currently go to Tucker, who has eight All-Pro nods, seven Pro Bowls, and several franchise and league records for his kicks, including the longest field goal in league history.
Tucker appreciates the support from Butker since all kickers stand together.
“It does mean a lot,” he said Wednesday. “The brotherhood of kickers around the league – it’s real. The guys that have been there and done that, it’s for a reason. It’s because they’re talented. It’s because they work hard.”
“Harrison is certainly one of those guys. The guy works his tail off. You can tell he’s incredibly talented. He’s a great athlete. I’m excited to see him this weekend and have another good battle, as we’re all expecting. To see Harrison doing so well, it does make me really happy for him – I’m not necessarily happy for the Kansas City Chiefs, but I am very happy for Harrison to see him do well,” he continued.
Butker’s prowess has been pivotal for the Chiefs’ struggling offense that looks like its back to its potent ways in their last two playoff games.
The 28-year-old hit two field goals, including a 47-yard field goal in the AFC Divisional Round game against the Buffalo Bills that saw Bills kicker Tyler Bass miss a game-tying field goal in the last two minutes.
The windy Orchard Park, New York climate was a rough day for both kickers, but Butker came through unscathed.
He hopes to do the same in Baltimore on Sunday.
“I think on game day, I’ve done a really good job of staying locked in and focused on what I can control and not worrying about anything else,” Butker said. “I can do everything to prepare for the game throughout the week, throughout the offseason. But when I go out there, it really does feel like, you know, God can make that ball go in, or he can make it not go in. So the difference between having a season where you’re 94% or 84%, it’s just a couple of misses and could be just some freak things that cause the ball to go in or don’t go in.
“I’m very thankful to have made all of those kicks, and again, I don’t think it’s all me. There’s definitely something else that’s helping,” he continued.