Browns loss to the Steelers puts a magnifying glass on a veteran Cleveland needs to part ways with
The idea of the Cleveland Browns sweeping the Pittsburgh Steelers sounded good for folks in Northeast Ohio, but it was always a long shot. Pittsburgh defeated the Browns by a score of 27-14. Pittsburgh led 27-7 at one point and held on from there. Cleveland’s offense once again struggled majorly, which has been a common […]
The idea of the Cleveland Browns sweeping the Pittsburgh Steelers sounded good for folks in Northeast Ohio, but it was always a long shot. Pittsburgh defeated the Browns by a score of 27-14. Pittsburgh led 27-7 at one point and held on from there.
Cleveland’s offense once again struggled majorly, which has been a common thing for that unit this season. Now with a record of 3-10, the failure of a season for the Browns continues to look worse and worse.
One major problem with the Browns in this one was the kicking game. Cleveland kicker Dustin Hopkins missed two field goals against Pittsburgh, one before halftime then one right after. It was a 38-yard kick missed, then a 43-yard miss. Two kicks that you expect an NFL kicker to make. Both were defeating moments for an offense that has struggled to put points on the board.
It is time for the Browns to part ways with Dustin Hopkins
Cleveland gave Hopkins a three-year contract extension paid following last season’s performance by him and it now looks like a major mistake. Hopkins made an unreal 33-of-36 licks last season and there was always going to be a slight step back this season. However, the step back has just been too big.
Following the loss to the Steelers, Hopkins is just 16-of-25 on kicks this season. Last year, Hopkins made all eight of his kicks of 50 yards or more. This season, the veteran kicker is just 4-of-8 from that distance. On extra points, Hopkins is 16-of-18.
It is a lost season for the Browns, so they may not cut Hopkins this year. Still, they should because he is bringing a losing team down even more. In 2020, Hopkins had his worst season as a pro. He made 27-of-34 kicks that year, which is by far better than this season.
A lot has gone wrong for Cleveland this season and they’ve seen the bad happen in all three phases. After just one good year in Cleveland, the Browns paid Hopkins over $5 million a season. Cleveland just needs to own it and move on from a player that clearly doesn’t have it.
