The Cleveland Browns had a chance to win their season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon behind a breakout performance by running back Dylan Sampson and their hopes rested on the leg of Andre Szmyt. Making the first start of his career, Szmyt had the chance to be the hero with a 36-yard field goal attempt that could have given Cleveland a late lead, but his attempt sailed wide left as the Bengals escaped with a 17-16 victory.
With a missed extra point that was the difference in the game, Szmyt went from hero to scapegoat with two bad kicks. But the rookie gave Cleveland an ounce of hope with his assessment after the game.
Browns K Andre Szmyt Believes He Identified the Problem After Miserable NFL Debut
Szmyt tried to put his struggles into words when speaking to reporters after Sunday’s game. While he was obviously disappointed with the result, he felt like he had a reason for the missed kicks and had his eyes set on fixing the problem.
“Just kind of pushing the ball, rushing my approach a little bit,” Szmyt said via Zac Jackson of The Athletic. “Watch the film, try to forget it and move on.”
It would be hard to blame Szmyt for rushing his approach in his NFL debut. At 26 years old, he probably had been anticipating this moment, and the adrenaline had to be pumping when he lined up for each of his kicks, including a potential go-ahead score. It’s also encouraging that he identified the problem early, hinting at an easy adjustment to fix the problem.
But that’s consolation for Browns fans or a coaching staff that is looking to keep its job this season.
The Browns were 3-14 last season and have struggled in almost every facet of the game. But they particularly struggled in the kicking game as Dustin Hopkins made just 18-of-27 (66.7%) field goals and 17-of-20 (85%) extra points. Szmyt defeated Hopkins in training camp to win the kicking job for Cleveland, but his debut inspired little confidence.
After being the biggest reason why the Browns lost, Szmyt will have to block out the noise and refine his approach. But his leash could be short as the Browns travel to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2.