Los Angeles Chargers kicker Dustin Hopkins spent much of Monday night’s game in pain after straining his hamstring.
NFL fans spent much of the night in pain watching a game that featured two struggling offenses, tons of penalties and questionable playcalling.
In the end, Hopkins soldiered on, kicking four field goals, including the game-winning, 39-yard kick in overtime, to send the Chargers to a 19-16 victory over the Denver Broncos.
Hopkins hurt his hamstring kicking an extra point early in the second quarter.
“That first extra point I felt a pop,” Hopkins said.
But he kept playing, making field goals of 37, 31 and 35 yards before booting the game winner in OT.
It’s somehow appropriate that a kicker with a bad leg won a bad game. Fans on Twitter spent much of the night second-guessing calls. Not unusual for any game, but this game was definitely not pretty. There were 19 penalties, with the Broncos committing 10 for 151 yards, the most penalty yardage by a team since TruMediaSports started tracking the stat in 2000.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert passed for just 238 yards on 57 attempts, just 4.2 yards per attempt. Broncos QB Russell Wilson looked better, but neither offense got on track.
The ugliness continued into overtime. Neither team seemed comfortable doing more than running the ball. The Chargers were set up for the game-winning kick when the Broncos botched a punt return.
NFL fans appreciated Hopkins’ grit, but definitely had fun poking fun at the whole lame kicker angle.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.