The Cleveland Browns went through some unwanted deja vu on Sunday afternoon.
Once again, their kickers’ miscues cost them a game they could’ve and should’ve won.
Andre Szmyt missed two routine kicks in a one-point loss, including one extra-point attempt and a potential go-ahead field goal.
Following the loss, the rookie kicker shared his thoughts and vowed to be better next week:
“Watch the film. See where it went wrong. That’s kinda what it felt like. Forget about it. Give myself 24 hours to analyze what happened and move on. Just rushing my approach. I gotta do better. I expect better from myself. Try to forget about it and move on to next week,” Szmyt said.
Andre Szmyt left four points off the board with missed kicks in the #Browns 17-16. He feels like he knows what he did wrong.
As he looks to get right from the disappointing day, his teammates are supporting him through it. pic.twitter.com/YEtCEAFqGG
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) September 8, 2025
Then again, as much as the players have rallied behind him, there might not be a next week for him.
The Browns allowed this to be a huge issue more often than not last season because of their reluctance to move on from Dustin Hopkins.
They ultimately agreed to part ways with Hopkins despite the dead cap hit, replacing him with Szmyt.
They can’t allow this to snowball.
Kickers often let those misses go to their heads, and that only leads to more struggles.
The Browns can’t go through Cade York or Dustin Hopkins all over again.
Kickers used to be almost automatic from close range and in PATs, but that has become a dying breed now.
With that in mind, the Browns, like all other teams, must adopt a zero-tolerance policy with this type of situation.
The offense looked better than anticipated, but they can’t afford to leave four points on the table every week.
Thank you for your services, but it’s time to dig deep into the free-agent pool again and find another guy.
NEXT: David Njoku Sends 7-Word Message After Sunday's Loss
