The Cleveland Browns struggled in multiple phases against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, losing the contest 27-14 to their AFC North rivals.
Offensively, the Browns struggled on multiple drives, and two interceptions off Jameis Winston’s errant passes were costly for the squad.
Defensively, Cleveland allowed only 267 yards, but the Steelers converted on six of their 14 third-down conversions against the Browns while Pittsburgh rushed for 120 yards on Sunday.
Finally, the Browns’ special teams were anything but special against Pittsburgh.
Browns returner Kadarius Toney muffed a late punt that allowed the Steelers to run out the remainder of the clock while kicker Dustin Hopkins continued his season-long struggles, missing both attempts on Sunday.
Despite his struggles, head coach Kevin Stefanski is electing to stick with his kicker.
On Sunday, Stefanski gave a three-word response about Hopkins’ future despite his struggles.
For the season, Hopkins has now missed nine field goal attempts.
Eight of his nine misses have come in the past two months after he started the season by connecting on seven of his first eight field goals.
He’s now 9-of-17 since October 6, posting multiple games where he’s two field goals.
Cleveland signed him this offseason to a three-year, $15.9 million contract that made him one of the highest-paid placekickers in the league.
The Browns acquired Hopkins in 2023 from the Los Angeles Chargers, and he played in 15 games last season.
In 2023, Hopkins made 24 of his 26 field goal attempts for the Browns, posting his best field goal percentage of his 10-year career.