Playing in his second game with the Los Angeles Chargers, kicker Dustin Hopkins delivered for his new team. Hopkins drilled a go-ahead 29-yard field goal with two seconds remaining, as the Chargers edged the Philadelphia Eagles 27-24.
Hopkins also made a 30-yard field goal. But it’s worth noting he missed an extra point — his third missed going back with his time in Washington.
Hopkins was released by the Washington Football Team last month after nearly seven seasons. There’s no doubt Hopkins struggled over the past two seasons kicking, especially from long distances.
He made 12-of-14 field goal attempts and 10-of-12 on extra points in six games with Washington. He landed shortly in LA shortly after his release.
However, Washington opted to replace the longtime kicker with Chris Blewitt, a kicker who had never kicked during a regular season game in the NFL. In fact, Blewitt hadn’t kicked in a game since 2016 while in college.
Washington immediately regretted the decision when his first career field goal attempt was blocked. The following week, he had two field goals blocked. One actually bounced off the helmet of his teammate and offensive lineman Wes Schweitzer.
Despite the issues, Washington head coach Ron Rivera remains committed to Blewitt. Rivera cited good kickers are “hard to find.”
The comment was interesting, considering Hopkins converted 84% of his field goals during his time in Washington.
Blewitt is 2-of-5 on field goal attempts since taking over kicking duties in Washington. Meanwhile, Hopkins is a perfect 3-of-3, including Sunday’s game-winner.
