Joe Flacco has benefitted from having great kickers for most of his 18-year NFL career.
He didn’t on Sunday.
Flacco passed for 290 yards and gave the Browns an opportunity to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener. But a missed extra point and short field-goal attempt by Andre Szmyt were two of four defining plays in Cleveland’s 17-16 loss.
“What you’ve got to remember is that we’ve all been in a situation where we’ve all made mistakes before that have been a big part of costing us a football game. You got to shake it. It’s not just on you. It’s a team sport,” Flacco said about Szmyt’s missed kicks. “We’re all going to be in there and rally together. Nobody wants to be in that situation and not come up for your team. But we’ve all been there and can understand not doing it.”
There always has been plenty of focus on the Browns carousel of quarterbacks, but the kicker spot has had its share of turnover, too.
Cleveland has had 11 starting quarterbacks since Kevin Stefanski became coach in 2020. Szmyt is the eighth kicker.
Szmyt was making his NFL debut after having a better training camp and preseason than Dustin Hopkins. Szmyt was the UFL field goal leader in 2024 with the St. Louis BattleHawks.
He made his first extra point early in the second quarter and was good from 45 yards late in the second quarter to get the Browns within 14-10 at halftime.
The second half was a different story.
Szmyt was wide right on an extra point after Cedric Tillman’s 5-yard TD reception midway through the third quarter put Cleveland up 16-14.
He was wide right again on a potential go-ahead 36-yard attempt with 2:25 remaining in the game.
