The Kansas City Chiefs have to feel pretty good about their backup kicker after the Week 12 win over the Carolina Panthers. They already had a good idea of the type of player he could be as the team’s No. 1 prospect at the position in the 2024 NFL draft. Spencer Shrader went out there and had a chance to prove it all in the final seconds of Sunday’s win against the Panthers.
Shrader has been flawless to this point in his Chiefs career. He started by going 3-of-3 on PATs in the Week 11 loss to the Bills. He did his job that week, but it wasn’t until the Week 12 game in Carolina that he was asked to play hero. First, he had to get through the rest of the game, going 3-for-3 on extra points and kicking a 25-yard and 41-yard in the first half.
With the game all knotted up at 27 in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs marched down the field into range for a game-winning kick. Shrader had never made a game-winning score in the NFL or his college career, yet he lined up to take the kick just like any other. With a swift 31-yard boot, he’d go 3-for-3 on the day with field goals, including the walk-off score.
“I can feel what’s going on,” Shrader told reporters. “You can feel like the stadium and getting excited, but you always try to stay calm. You try to keep your emotions suppressed. I really try to simplify what I’m thinking about. So, I’m thinking about my craft. And then as a team, we were kind of reflecting on Philippians 4 in our Bible study — ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but instead pray about everything.’ So really, it was a combination of just kind of staying calm, continuing to pray in that instance, and then just simplifying everything and understanding that it’s just snap, hold, kick at the end of the day.”
Andy Reid expressed great confidence in Shrader’s ability at that moment. The team’s star quarterback echoed the sentiment.
“I had a ton of confidence,” Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes said. “I’ve seen him do it in practice since he’s been here. He’s been going out there, working, and so I had a ton of confidence. Got him into his sweet spot and he nailed it right through there.”
Sunday marked Shrader’s tenth day with the Chiefs’ organization. He credits the professionalism of those around him for the success he’s seen in such a short time.
“It’s been a whirlwind, for sure,” Shrader explained. “But I think the thing that helps in that situation is that I’m around a group of true professionals. You come in and you have a snapper and a holder that are elite at what they do, and they’re trying to get you as comfortable as possible. And so every day is a learning experience. You’re working on things, you’re refining your craft a little bit each day. But I couldn’t be around a better group, a better team, like everyone reaching out, trying to get you as comfortable as possible, to set you up for a situation like this. So yeah, there are growing pains and things to figure out, but I think it’s gone about as good as it can given the timeline, given the situation.”
As for his comfort level on kicks of a certain range, Shrader says that his job is just to kick it regardless of where it’s at on the field.
“I don’t even think about it,” Shrader said. “Obviously, the shorter, the more confidence-inspiring. But at the end of the day, I don’t get to choose, I just go out there and kick it wherever they put it down.”
Asked if he was living out a dream, Shrader didn’t hold back on what the opportunity to kick the game-winner meant on a macro level. It wasn’t about personal achievements for Shrader or what it might mean for his future in the league. It was about not letting his teammates and coaches down while living up to the standard already set in Chiefs Kingdom.
“I think so. I think the biggest emotion in that moment is gratitude for the opportunity, and (I’m) just happy that I was able to go out and perform for the team,” Shrader said. “When you join an organization like the Chiefs, there’s a championship culture, and there’s a standard to uphold. And so for me, I just wanted to come in and do my best for the team, for as long as as I’m here. I was grateful to be put in a situation today to step up and put a couple of points up there, but that’s a team effort at the end of the day. So, just really grateful for the opportunity, grateful to be a part of this team.”
