The Kansas City Chiefs are facing another hurdle during their unbeaten season.
The Chiefs will be without kicker Harrison Butker for 3-4 weeks, NFL Network Insiders Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported Thursday, while he has surgery on his meniscus in his left knee. Taking Butker’s place will be Spencer Shrader, who is being signed off the New York Jets’ practice squad, per Pelissero.
Kansas City officially placed Butker on injured reserve and signed Shrader to the active roster on Friday.
Butker, who has earned a reputation as one of the league’s great clutch kickers, will have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to trim down his meniscus. He’s expected to be back in advance of the home stretch of the regular season and the playoffs, as the 9-0 Chiefs are trying to become the first NFL team to win three straight Super Bowl titles.
Butker, 29, was rewarded with a big contract extension in August, and he’s backed it up with another strong season so far, making 18 of 20 field-goal tries and 21 of his 22 extra-point tries. Replacing him, even for a short stretch, will be a tall order. The Chiefs have won seven of their nine games this season by one score.
Shrader, 25, was one of the few bright spots for the Jets on Sunday, making both his field-goal attempts and scoring all of their points in a 31-6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. He’s played in only two career NFL games, making all three extra-point attempts for the Colts in their Week 1 loss to the Texans. The Jets later signed Shrader to their practice squad in October.
The Chiefs’ first game without Butker will be Sunday at the Buffalo Bills.