Kansas City Chiefs vs. Carolina Panthers (Photo via CBS)
Kansas City Chiefs temporary kicker Spencer Shrader made the most of his opportunity to play hero in Sunday’s nailbiter against the Carolina Panthers.
With Harrison Butker on the injured reserve, the Chiefs have turned to Spencer Shrader as the fill-in. He was perfect against Carolina, going 3-for-3 on field goals and 3-for-3 on extra point attempts in the 30-27 victory.
Shrader kicked the game-winning 31-yarder as time expired to push the defending Super Bowl champions to 10-1. Not only did Shrader make good on his kick,
Shrader kicked the game-winning 31-yarder as time expired to push the defending Super Bowl champions to 10-1. Not only did Shrader make good on his kick, but he even got one of the field goal referees to “use his head”, if you will.
As one of the officials raised his arms in the air to signal the field goal was “good”, the football landed right on his head:
Now raise your hand if you’ve never seen that before.
Spencer Shrader was also perfect in the Chiefs’ 30-21 road loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 11, making all three extra point attempts. So far, the Notre Dame product has been perfect as Butker’s replacement.
Butker was placed on the injured reserve with a knee injury ahead of the Bills-Chiefs contest, sidelining him for at least four games. The three-time Super Bowl champion will be eligible to return in Week 15 against the Cleveland Browns.
The Chiefs (now 10-1) will host the AFC West rival Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday in Week 13. They’ll stay in Kansas City to host another division foe, the Los Angeles Chargers, in Week 14.
Spencer Shrader Is Shining In His NFL Audition
Kansas City will obviously go back to Harrison Butker when he returns from injury, but Shrader’s performance thus far isn’t all for naught.
The 25-year-old hasn’t been fazed by the pressure of temporarily replacing arguably the best kicker in the game. With several NFL teams experiencing kicking woes, Shrader is playing himself toward a starting gig for another club in 2025.