{"id":356033,"date":"2025-09-10T05:11:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T05:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/356033\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T05:11:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T05:11:10","slug":"how-will-the-browns-solve-their-kicking-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/356033\/","title":{"rendered":"How will the Browns solve their kicking issues?"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 The Browns<\/a>\u2019 heart-wrenching 17-16 loss to Cincinnati in their season opener has ignited serious concerns about rookie kicker Andre Szmyt\u2019s future in Cleveland \u2014 and according to veteran beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot, the situation demands immediate action.<\/p>\n

In the latest episode of Orange and Brown Talk<\/a>, Cabot didn\u2019t sugarcoat her assessment of Szmyt\u2019s performance, which included missing an extra point and field goal in a game decided by a single point.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re missing an extra point (and another field goal), then I think you\u2019re on very, very shaky ground,\u201d Cabot told podcast host Dan Labbe. \u201cIf you had missed a 52-yarder, that\u2019s a different story. But to miss a 36 and a 33, that\u2019s uncalled for. They can\u2019t have that.\u201d<\/p>\n

While head coach Kevin Stefanski has publicly supported the rookie kicker, Cabot expressed skepticism about whether the team truly plans to stick with Szmyt heading into Week 2. The missed kicks didn\u2019t just cost the Browns points on the scoreboard \u2014 they created a psychological impact that rippled through the entire team.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just such a demoralizing way to lose when you feel like you can\u2019t trust your kicker,\u201d Labbe observed, comparing the situation to \u201cwhen a closer starts blowing saves in baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cabot noted that the missed extra point appeared to rattle the offense, pointing out that Jerry Jeudy had a ball go off his hands on the very next drive, followed by back-to-back drops by Harold Fannin Jr. and Jeudy on the subsequent possession.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t react well to that adversity in the game,\u201d she explained. \u201cIt kind of took the wind out of their sails a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

The consequences of an unreliable kicker extend beyond just missed points. Cabot highlighted how opposing teams will adjust their strategies knowing the Browns may be hesitant to attempt field goals. This was evident when Bengals coach Zac Taylor opted to punt in a situation where he might normally fear giving the Browns good field position \u2014 because he knew Cleveland\u2019s kicking game was compromised.<\/p>\n

What makes the situation particularly frustrating is that the Browns believed they had solved their kicking woes. \u201cThey were really, really confident with Andre heading into the season,\u201d Cabot said. \u201cThey felt really good about him. They\u2019ve been watching him all the way back when the offseason started.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than giving Szmyt another opportunity, Cabot offered a direct solution: \u201cI think they should bring someone else in. I don\u2019t even think right now I would give him another game. I think I would put him on the practice squad, have him kick some more, get him down to the stadium, and then when he\u2019s on really solid footing again, then trot him back out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Browns face a critical decision with limited time to resolve their kicking situation before facing the Ravens in Baltimore \u2014 a game where every point will likely matter against one of the AFC\u2019s top contenders.<\/p>\n

BETTING: The over\/under for Sunday\u2019s Browns versus Ravens game is currently set at 45.5 points on FanDuel<\/a>. Our complete FanDuel Sportsbook review<\/a> provides a guide on how to register and navigate their site. For all of the best Browns Week 2 Odds<\/a>, be sure to check out our expert insights.<\/p>\n

Want to hear more about the Browns\u2019 kicking crisis and how it might impact their upcoming matchup with Baltimore? Listen to the full episode of Orange and Brown Talk for Mary Kay Cabot and Dan Labbe\u2019s complete breakdown of the team\u2019s Week 1 performance and what changes might be coming.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the podcast for this week:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Listen and subscribe to the Orange and Brown Talk podcast on Apple Podcasts<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Football Insider newsletter free trial: Take a minute and sign up for a free trial<\/a> of our Football Insider newsletter, featuring exclusive content from cleveland.com’s Browns reporters.<\/p>\n

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 The Browns\u2019 heart-wrenching 17-16 loss to Cincinnati in their season opener has ignited serious concerns…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":356034,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2053],"tags":[228,227,256,62910,2296,58555,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-356033","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cincinnati-bengals","8":"tag-bengals","9":"tag-cincinnati","10":"tag-cincinnati-bengals","11":"tag-cincinnati-bengals-2025","12":"tag-cincinnatibengals","13":"tag-cleveland-browns-2025","14":"tag-football","15":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=356033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356033\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/356034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=356033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=356033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=356033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}