Kansas City Chiefs lose clutch contributor for showdown vs. Buffalo Bills

The Kansas City Chiefs will be without a significant contributor on Sunday when they take on the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.
On Thursday, it was reported that that Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker would be out of action for 3-4 weeks and could be heading to the injured reserve with a left knee injury. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Butker needs surgery to trim his meniscus in his left knee. Butker will be back for the end of the regular season and playoffs, but will miss a big AFC matchup on Sunday.
In his career with the Chiefs, Butker has had no shortage of success against Buffalo. In five regular season games, Butker has made 8-of-9 field goals and 9-of-10 extra points. He’s also been clutch in the postseason for Kansas City against the Bills converting 6-of-7 field goals and 11-of-12 extra points.
Kansas City has already found his replacement for the time being. On Thursday, the team signed kicker Spencer Shrader off of the New York Jets’ practice squad. Shrader went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft and was originally signed by the Indianapolis Colts. He was waived by the team and later signed to the Colts’ practice squad. Shrader would be elevated to Indianapolis’ main roster in Week 1 where he made all three of his extra point attempts. He was eventually released by the Colts. On October 30, Shrader would sign with the Jets’ practice squad. He was recently elevated to the team’s main roster where he made both of his field goal attempts. Before entering the league, Shrader played collegiately for South Florida (2019-2022) and Notre Dame (2023).