Washington Football Team kicker Dustin Hopkins has been under fire as of late. His inconsistency has been glaring. It led to questions for head coach Ron Rivera that he wished not to be answering.
Dating back to last season, Hopkins has been shaky on long distance kicks. So on Thursday, with him lining up for a 48-yard field goal with five seconds remaining of a 29-27 game against the New York Giants there were a lot of tense onlookers.
The headlines were primed and ready to once again spark the debate of Hopkins running his course in Washington. Right on cue, Hopkins pushed the kick wide right, no good.
But wait! A flag was thrown. Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence was called for being offside. Hopkins would get another chance. The missed field goal was negated.
The penalty advanced the ball five more yards up to the Giants’ 25-yard line. More importantly it shortened Hopkins’ re-kick from 48 to 43 yards.
It would be a 43-yard he knocked down with no doubt. Just like that Hopkins was alleviated from being the villain and a week long stories and questions surrounding his unreliability in kicks.
There’s a debate whether Lawrence was actually offside or just a victim of a well-time jump? But, Lawrence’s blunder gave Hopkins a mulligan and saved him from a nightmarish week.
Officially Hopkins was 3-of-3 on field goal attempts Thursday night with makes of 49, 43 and 37 yards. He also gained a confidence booster that he can make a pressure field goal. A win is a win. But, bookmark that unofficial miss from 48 yards.
