Chiefs top Skins, remain unbeaten
After Harrison Butker missed the first field-goal attempt of his NFL career, Chiefs coach Andy Reid walked over to the rookie and prepared to instill a little bit of confidence.
“He said, ‘I got it. I got it. I was just off a tad,’” Reid recalled of their brief exchange. “He kind of gives you that feeling that everything’s going to be OK.” Better than just “OK.” Butker responded to his first-half miss Monday night by drilling three field goals in the second half, the last a go-ahead 43-yarder with 8 seconds remaining that helped Kansas City beat the Redskins 29-20 and remain the only unbeaten team in the NFL.
“I didn’t have butterflies. I felt confident,” said Butker, who was claimed off the Carolina practice squad to replace injured kicker Cairo Santos. “I knew it was going to come down to a field goal. I felt pretty calm. I was excited; I wasn’t nervous.”
The Chiefs (4-0) an exclamation point on the win when linebacker Justin Houston picked up a fumble as the Redskins (3-2) were trying to keep the game alive and returned it for a game-ending touchdown.
The last time there was only one unbeaten team through the first four weeks of the season was 2010, when the Chiefs were the final team standing. They went on to win the AFC West.
“I mean, it’s the NFL. It’s any given Sunday for a reason,” said Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who had seven catches for 111 yards and a score. “All these teams are scheming everybody up. It’s a testament to this team for especially not only being 4-0, but the way we’ve won.”
Alex Smith threw for 293 yards with touchdowns on the ground and through the air, and his 37-yard strike to Albert Wilson on a broken play that set up Butker’s go-ahead kick. Kareem Hunt added 101 yards on the ground for the rookie’s fourth straight 100-yard effort.
“Winning is more meaningful,” Hunt said with a smile. “I could have 50 yards as long as we win.”
Kirk Cousins had 220 yards passing and two touchdowns for Washington, but his throw to the end zone with 50 seconds left was dropped by Josh Doctson and forced the Redskins to kick a field goal.
That missed opportunity came back to haunt them less than a minute later.
“We’ll go back and try to look at different plays throughout the game that could have made a big difference,” Cousins said. “A tough one to lose. Felt like we had a chance there and didn’t get it done.”