CLEVELAND (AP) 鈥 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 .
鈥淲hat you鈥檝e got to remember is that we鈥檝e all been in a situation where we鈥檝e all made mistakes before that have been a big part of costing us a football game. You got to shake it. It鈥檚 not just on you. It鈥檚 a team sport,” Flacco said about Szmyt’s missed kicks. “We鈥檙e 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鈥檝e 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鈥檚 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.
鈥淚 knew it (the extra point) was off to the right, so now I have to make adjustments,” Szmyt said. “I was trying to correct on the second one. Unfortunately, I kind of pushed it, too. I know the wind was going right to left the other way, so I made the play a little bit the other way.”
Coach Kevin Stefanski said his first inclination was not to bring in anyone for tryouts this upcoming week after Szmyt’s struggles.
鈥淵ou know, points are at a premium obviously. So that鈥檚 frustrating. Andre鈥檚 had a really good camp. He鈥檚 done a nice job for us. So I鈥檓 not there,鈥 Stefanski said.
The other two defining plays were interceptions thrown by Flacco that went off the hands of receivers Jerry Jeudy and Tillman.
“Flacco did a good job. The two turnovers were unfortunate picks. We had them in our hands,” said Jeudy, who led the league with 13 dropped passes last season.
Flacco had success on passes beyond 10 air yards during his first stint with the Browns late in the 2023 season, but Cincinnati largely took that away on Sunday, along with a running game that averaged only 2.0 yards per carry.
Flacco completed 31 of 45 passes. He was 26 of 32 on passes under 10 air yards, including 10 of 12 for 44 yards to a player at or behind the line of scrimmage.
He was 5 of 13 on intermediate or deep passes.
A pair of rookies led the Browns in catches. Running back Dylan Sampson, a fourth-round pick, had eight receptions for 64 yards and tight end Harold Fannin Jr., taken in the third round, added seven catches for 63 yards.
Jeudy and Tillman both had five catches. Jeudy led the Browns in receiving yards with 66 and Tillman added 52.
鈥淚 think they tried to throw a lot on our plate, and I ultimately think we did a decent job of handling it. But at the same time, you look at those few plays that got us,鈥 Flacco said.
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