Just over a year ago, Cleveland Browns kicker Andre Szmyt could not find a roster spot in the NFL. After being cut from the Chicago Bears training camp in 2023, Szmyt spent the 2024 season kicking for the St. Louis Battlehawks in the UFL. Fast forward to last Sunday, the rookie drilled a 55-yard field goal in the final seconds to give the Browns their first win of the season. Szmyt’s kick soared through the uprights with zeros on the clock as Cleveland completed their 13-point fourth quarter comeback against the Green Bay Packers.
“It was exciting,” Szmyt said postgame. “It was good to pull through for my teammates. Obviously a couple of weeks back, that’s in the past. It’s good to do it for them.”
In the Browns 17–16 week one defeat against the Cincinnati Bengals, Szmyt missed a field goal and an extra point; many Cleveland fans had already seen enough from the 26-year-old rookie. But Brown’s Head Coach Kevin Stefanski stuck with him.
“I’m really proud of that young man,” Stefanski said postgame. “I’m happy for that young man.”
The Browns, now 1–2, scored all their points in the final 3:38 to break an eight-game losing streak stretching back to last season.
After a dreadful first three quarters, Cleveland’s 40-year-old signal caller Joe Flacco took the Browns down the field for two critical scoring drives in the fourth.
The Packers punted the ball back with 9:26 left in the fourth. Rookie running back Quinshon Judkins ripped off runs of 14 yards and 38 yards on back-to-back plays to put Cleveland just outside of the redzone.
The Browns continued to slowly grind out yards but were turned away at the Packers’ one yard line after a face mask penalty put them behind the sticks. Szmyt knocked in a 35-yard field goal to make it a one score game, 10–3, with 3:38 remaining.
On the Packers’ ensuing drive, the Browns forced the Packers into a crucial third and three from their own 25. Packer quarterback Jordan Love dropped back, looked left, and was picked off by Browns safety Grant Delpit, who returned it to the Green Bay four. It was the first turnover forced by the Browns defense this season and the first interception Love had thrown in his last 10 regular season games.
After a pass interference on Green Bay put the ball at the one, Judkins punched it in for his first career touchdown, and Szmyt nailed the extra point to knot the score at 10 with 3:02 remaining. Judkins, an Ohio State product, finished with career high marks with 18 carriers and 94 rushing yards.
The Browns’ defense was getting after Love all afternoon. Cleveland sacked Love five times and held the Packers to 230 total yards of offense.
Through week three, the Browns have the NFL’s best rush defense, allowing 57.3 yards per game on the ground. They rank second in pass defense and sacks, surrendering 147 passing yards per game and racking up 11 sacks. PFF gives Cleveland league-best grades in overall defense, pass rush, and run defensive.
The Packers got the ball back and quickly flipped the field with a 20-yard pass interference penalty, and an 18-yard pass from Love to tight end Tucker Kraft placed the ball at the Browns’ 22 as the two-minute warning hit.
After the Browns stuffed the Packers on three straight run plays, plus a false start, Green Bay had to make a 43-yard field goal to take the lead with 27 seconds remaining.
Browns defensive tackle Shelby Harris busted through the line and blocked the kick – it was the sixth career field goal block for Harris, most among active players.
The Browns got themselves into field goal range and perfectly executed a hurry-up spike to set the stage for Szmyt. A crowd of over 65,000 at Huntington Bank Field erupted as the ball sailed through the uprights.
“I think today, as tough as it can be, we won a football game, and it was hard,” Flacco said. “It’s hard when you’re in your own stadium and you can’t put points on the board and everybody feels it and you feel it, but you’ve got to keep going out there and doing your job and having faith that something’s going to happen and we’re going to get it done.”
