Patrick Mahomes may have won Super Bowl MVP, but the show’s real star may have been kicker Harrison Butker. Butker was responsible for 12 of the 19 points Kansas City scored during regulation, including hitting a 57-yard field goal that is the longest in Super Bowl history. Mahomes knows how special Butker is, but he gives the special teams star his space, saying on the Pat McAfee show, “I don’t talk to Harrison Butker all year and I just let him do his thing.”
Advertisement
Butker’s 57-yard field goal was pivotal for the Chiefs. They were down 10-3, and the offense was being harassed by the 49ers d-line. Butker’s kick from that far out kept the Chiefs in the game, making sure that the 49ers wouldn’t be able to extend their lead too much. All throughout, even when the Chiefs weren’t finding the endzone, the field goals kept them in the game. Overall, Butker scored nearly half the team’s points and made history in the process.
Butker’s run this year was especially impressive. He missed just two kicks overall, was perfect on field goals from 50 yards or more, and won the Super Bowl with the Chiefs.
His all-time stats are equally impressive. Butker’s 89.14% accuracy ranks second all-time behind just Justin Tucker. He also holds several Super Bowl records after Sunday’s showdown including the longest field goal at 57 yards, most field goals in a Super Bowl with four (tied), most field goals in the Super Bowl all-time with nine, and most kicking points in the Super Bowl all-time with 37 in four games
Can Harrison Butker Become the Adam Vinatieri for the Kansas City Chiefs?
Adam Vinatieri is one of the greatest postseason kickers of all time. He also has some of the most memorable kicks in NFL history, helping kickstart the Patriots dynasty that gave birth to the greatest quarterback of all time.
Vinatieri’s kicks against the Raiders in blizzard conditions to tie the game and then win it go down as some of the most impressive ever, and then he also drilled two game-winning field goals for the Pats in the Super Bowl. One of them came against the heavily favored Los Angeles Rams, and the other against the Carolina Panthers two years later to kickstart the New England dynasty.
So, can Butker reach Vinatieri’s level? He definitely can. The Chiefs star kicker is just 28 years old, and with the run of dominance Kansas City has had in recent years, he’s sure to reach the postseason and Super Bowl several more times.
Butker’s run this Super Bowl was similar to Vinatieri’s time in New England. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs rode a dominant defense throughout this postseason much like the Patriots in Brady’s early days, and in a low-scoring game, Butker and the Chiefs’ special teams unit ended up being the difference.
The narratives are similar, and if Butker can keep up his confidence and skill, he will definitely reach the level of fame that Vinatieri was able to with the Patriots.
