Despite an up-and-down day from rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Dustin Hopkins’ 34-yard field goal in the final seconds gave Cleveland a huge victory.
CLEVELAND — It seems like Browns games are just meant to be roller coasters of emotions at this point, and Sunday was no different. Not with the hated Pittsburgh Steelers in town.
There were moments were it looked like Cleveland would cruise to victory, followed by moments of despair and utter confusion. But when the dust settled, the Browns came on top again, prevailing 13-10 on Dustin Hopkins’ 34-yard field goal with just two seconds remaining.
It was Hopkins’ second game-winning kick in as many weeks, as he also nailed a 40-yarder to help Cleveland beat the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday. More importantly, it improved the Browns’ record to 7-3, putting them all alone in second place in the AFC North.
Just days after learning starting quarterback Deshaun Watson would be lost for the season with a shoulder injury, the Browns inserted rookie backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson in for his second career start. The fifth-rounder’s performance this time around was better than his first, but there were still noticeable growing pains, as he completed just 55.8% of his passes for 165 yards (3.8 yards per attempt) and an interception for a paltry passer rating of 54.9.
Still, it looked for quite a while like it wouldn’t matter, as Cleveland raced out to a 10-0 lead thanks to a Jerome Ford touchdown and 25-yard field goal by Hopkins. Jim Schwartz’s also stifled Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett, who himself was held to a mere 93 yards on 27 attempts.
This story will be updated.