Watch Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker easily make 71-yard field goal before Packers game

Late in the first half of the Chiefs’ 17-10 preseason victory over Green Bay, Chiefs rookie safety Bryan Cook intercepted a pass and returned it to the Kansas City 45-yard line.

Just 7 seconds remained in the second quarter, so was there a chance the Chiefs would have sent kicker Harrison Butker out to try a field goal? Unfortunately, a penalty on the interception return pushed the ball back to the Chiefs 15-yard line, so we’ll never know.

With the ball on the Chiefs’ 45, any field-goal attempt would have been roughly 72 yards. It sounds absurd to speculate on the Chiefs trying a field goal of that length, given that the NFL record is a 66-yard kick by the Ravens’ Justin Tucker a year ago.

However, Butker has shown the leg strength to make just such a kick. Before Thursday’s game at Arrowhead Stadium, Butker made kicks of 70 and 71 yards.

They were shown during the game broadcast, and Twitter user highlightheaven shared the clip.

Butker actually gave his leg a rest. Before the preseason game Saturday against the Washington Commanders, he made a 74-yard field goal attempt.

Earlier this month, the Star’s Jesse Newell wrote about Butker’s belief that he could make a 70-yard attempt in a game.

“Yeah, definitely,” Butker said. “I mean, the conditions have to be right. It’s got to be warm, probably some wind at your back.

“... But I feel like I have the distance for it, definitely.”

On Monday, assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Dave Toub was asked about the 70-plus yards kicks from Butker in warm-ups.

“In pregame he likes to hit long ones because it makes him feel like when we do kick a 50 yarder, he feels real close because he just banged 21 yards further than he just kicked the 53,” Toub said. “Then he missed the 53. That wasn’t like him to miss that kick, I’ll let him tell you about it, but it was not normal for him. He was spot on in pregame for sure.”