Dustin Hopkins has been the NFL’s best and hardest working kicker this season — no other kicker has booted more than his 30 field goals, nor has any kicker been asked to attempt more than his 33 field-goal tries.
The Browns, however, are about to hand Hopkins his toughest task yet this year:
Kick through the often-treacherous December weather in Cleveland.
Since 2018, Browns kickers have gone just 11-for-16 on field-goal attempts — a miserable 69 percent clip — and 18-for-22 on point-after attempts (81 percent) in home December games.
It’s easy to see what hampers them: chilly temps pack a stronger bite, wind swirls at a more provocative pace and, ever since the Browns began consistently building teams capable of playoff pushes in 2018, the games carry a heavier weight.
The pressure is on Hopkins to deliver this month the same way he has all season. He deserves to be on a list of team MVP candidates after drilling game-winning field goals to lift the Browns over the 49ers in Week 6 and the Ravens in Week 10. He’s also one field goal away from setting the franchise single-season field goal record that’s been held by Phil Dawson since 2008.
Starting this weekend, Hopkins will test his near-perfect kicking record against the scary one Mother Nature has built against Browns kickers in Cleveland — AccuWeather calls for a 94 percent chance of rain with wind gusts up to 28 mph and a high of 42 degrees.
And it’s the same brutal conditions that are no stranger to Cleveland Browns Stadium once the calendar flips to December. Browns fans bundled in beanies, coats and ponchos have grown tired of using it as an excuse when kicks sail outside the uprights.
Hopkins hasn’t elicited many groans yet, but the Browns need him to keep the mood at a calm and content level. At 7-5, Cleveland needs three wins in its final five games to crack a playoff spot. Three of those five will be played at home, and Hopkins’ leg will likely be needed to seal those wins to account for an offense that has started four quarterbacks this season.
Hopkins successfully answered those calls before, but Cleveland’s slippery sleet has never cared about what a kicker has achieved in mild conditions. It’s always ready to blow a season sideways and freeze the good memories created under the sunshine.
Now, Hopkins is the next kicker to go to battle. Sure, he’s earned his chance to fight, but his ability to win will loom large over Cleveland’s odds of playing through January.
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