The Kansas City Chiefsā 22ā19 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 11 was painful enough for a team fighting to regain control of the AFC West. But what happened after the game created an even bigger storm ā one that centered not on Patrick Mahomes, not on the defense, but on veteran kicker Harrison Butker.
In a stunning postgame segment on ESPNās national broadcast, Hall of Famer Troy Aikman unloaded on Butker, calling his missed extra point ā the one that kept Kansas City from taking a five-point lead ā āa catastrophic mistake from a player who should know better.ā Aikman went even further, adding:
āThese are the moments you get paid for. Special teams cannot be the reason you lose a divisional game. That kick was unacceptable at this level.ā
The comment exploded online within minutes. Chiefs fans were already frustrated after the blocked PAT shifted the gameās momentum and set up Denverās game-winning drive. Aikmanās words poured gasoline on a fire that was already burning.
Across social media, the criticism turned brutal:
āButker cost us the game.ā
āThis is the worst special-teams showing in years.ā
But inside the Chiefsā locker room, the tone was very different.
Head coach Andy Reid stepped to the podium moments later and delivered one of the strongest public defenses of a player in his career.
āHarrison Butker is one of the toughest competitors Iāve ever coached,ā Reid said firmly. āWe win a lot of games in this league because of him. One kick will never define his worth to this team. And let me be crystal clear ā if anyone has the right to criticize him, that person is me. No one else.ā
āMy job is to put the ball through the uprights. If I donāt do that, I take it personally. But Iāll be ready next week.ā
The Chiefsā locker room reportedly rallied around their kicker, with Mahomes and Travis Kelce both offering quiet words of support.
āHarrison Butker doesnāt run from adversity. He meets it. And so do we.ā
If Kansas City manages to bounce back in Week 12, this moment ā the criticism, the defense, the unity ā may become the spark that shifted their season back on track.
