Arrowhead Pride
The star kicker is expected to miss at least a month due to his torn meniscus.
The injury woes continue for the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. Kicker Harrison Butker is likely to miss at least 3-4 weeks due to a torn meniscus in his left knee after injuring the knee in practice on Thursday. If placed on injured reserve as expected, Butker will miss a minimum of four games.
The news sent some shockwaves and a bit of panic among Chiefs fans, as Butker has been a pivotal piece of the Chiefs’ three-peat attempt. To add insult to injury, the Chiefs have relied heavily on Butker this season, as the team has one of the least efficient red zone offenses in the league.
The team quickly signed kicker Spencer Shrader off the New York Jets practice squad to fill in for the injured Butker, who had successful surgery for the torn meniscus on Friday.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Butker’s torn meniscus was treated with a trim. This is a minimally invasive procedure in which frayed fragments of the torn meniscus are cut to remove torn portions of the meniscus. It is not a complete meniscus repair or total meniscectomy — so recovery time is much shorter.
The meniscus is important in stabilizing the knee joint and acts as a cushion or shock absorption for the knee. It is crescent-shaped and lies between the femur and tibia.
The injury occurred to Butker’s plant leg. When he kicks, it is vital he has the stability and support needed on the plant limb to create enough power with the kicking limb. A torn meniscus would limit his ability to kick successfully due to the lack of stability with a torn meniscus. This is in addition to being painful.
Former NFL punter Drew Butler posted on his X account that Butker had collapsed onto his left knee with every kick this season. This may be partly due to a change in kicking style following Butker’s ankle injury in 2023. It is also possible that the change in kicking mechanics was due to some instability at the knee, causing difficulty with stability when planting in a single-leg stance on the left foot.
Luckily for the Chiefs, Butker is expected back for the December home stretch run to the postseason. It should be a quick recovery for Butker. He will begin rehab immediately on the knee, emphasizing controlling inflammation and restoring knee strength and the stability needed to plant on the left leg when kicking.
As the Chiefs have done all season, they now turn to the next man up due to injury. In this case, it’s a player new to the team — getting his chance with the undefeated Super Bowl champions.
