How have the Chiefs fared without Harrison Butker in the past?

The Kansas City Chiefs were dealt a significant and surprising injury blow on Thursday with the news that star kicker Harrison Butker is likely heading to injured reserve, ruling him out for the four games.

Butker is dealing with a knee injury on his left leg, with NFL insider Ian Rapoport reporting he will have surgery to trim the meniscus on his non-kicking leg.

The Chiefs are set to be without Butker for a month, leaving his replacement, Spencer Shrader, with big shoes to fill.

A look at the Chiefs' history without Butker

This isn’t the first time the Chiefs have been without Mr. Dependable as their kicker.

In 2022, Butker suffered a left ankle injury in the early stages of the season opener against the Arizona Cardinals, an affliction that sidelined him for four games. Safety Justin Reid filled in for the rest of that contest before Kansas City turned to Matt Ammendola after he prevailed in a six-kicker tryout.

Ammendola was a perfect 3-3 and 2-2 on extra points and field goals in his opening game against the Los Angeles Chargers, but struggled a week later against the Indianapolis Colts. He missed an extra point, and the Chiefs— bizarrely–opted to run a fake field goal instead of having their new kicker line up for a 42-yarder.

Later, Ammendola missed a potential game-tying, 34-yard field goal in the fourth quarter in a game the Chiefs would go on to lose. He was released the following day.

His replacement, Matthew Wright, fared better.

Wright was perfect in Week 3 against Tampa Bay, slotting all five extra points and three field goals. A week later with the Kansas City taking on Las Vegas, Wright was wayward on a 41-yarder early in the contest, but he bounced back and hit all three of his extra points before smashing home a 59-yard attempt—the longest field goal in Chiefs franchise history at the time.

Wright was more than serviceable but didn’t feature again for Kansas City after Butker returned in Week 5. He was on the practice squad for three weeks, before he was released.

Cairo Santos was Kansas City’s kicker for four seasons ahead of Butker’s arrival in 2017. Santos had a field goal accuracy of 84.8% with the Chiefs.

What do we know about Spencer Shrader?

This time, the Chiefs have opted for Spencer Shrader to serve as Butker’s replacement, signing him from the New York Jets’ practice squad.

This is Shrader’s first year in the NFL. He kicked for Indianapolis in Week 1, making both his extra point attempts in his only appearance for the Colts. He was released and landed with the Jets, hitting both his field goals in his lone outing for New York, a 25- and 45-yarder.

Shrader apparently made a good impression in his short time in New York, with ESPN National NFL writer Rich Cimini reporting that the Jets tried to hold on to his services.

Shrader kicked for South Florida and Notre Dame in college, and will step into the role left vacant by one of the best kickers in NFL history.

Could we see Justin Reid kick again?

Maybe, although it isn’t likely. Justin Reid stepped up to the plate in Week 1 in 2022, after Butker hurt his ankle mid-game.

The full-time safety and part-time kicker went 1-2 on extra points, a more than honorable showing given his primary position. However, Reid has already poured cold water on the idea that he might be the one swinging his leg goalward in Buffalo.

“Our new kicker will be handling all the kicking responsibilities guys but I appreciate the vote of confidence,” Reid said via his Twitter account.

The Chiefs will face the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium at 3.25 pm CST on Sunday.