On a night where both offenses struggled to move the football, the hero of the game fittingly turned out to be the kicker.
Dustin Hopkins helped win the Week 6 “Monday Night Football” game between his Los Angeles Chargers and the Denver Broncos. And he did it all while playing through pain.
Hopkins hurt his right hamstring on his first kick of the game, which came on an extra point in the second quarter. The 32-year-old kicker proceeded to make four fields, including the game-winner in overtime to make it 19-16. Hopkins appeared to be in pain when he went out for his kicks. He dropped to the ground after making the final kick.
“I was hurting pretty good,” Hopkins acknowledged in an interview with ESPN’s Lisa Salters after the game.
“It was weird. I felt good pregame and everything, coming back from last week being out, but felt good. That first extra point, I just felt a pop, and it kind of went downhill from there,” said Hopkins.
Hopkins had missed the team’s Week 5 win over the Browns due to a quad injury. Then he hurt his hamstring on his first kick against the Broncos.
Folks on Twitter appreciated the heart Hopkins displayed:
Dustin Hopkins when it's fourth down: pic.twitter.com/t9NVMp2oI3
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) October 18, 2022
Dustin Hopkins rn pic.twitter.com/t1kcjSzOWd
— PFF (@PFF) October 18, 2022
Dustin Hopkins after every kick pic.twitter.com/e8RIT2IXw8
— Colby Lee (@illWillLee) October 18, 2022
Dustin Hopkins hamstring: pic.twitter.com/r3nI5MUy4d
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 18, 2022
DUSTIN HOPKINS pic.twitter.com/Ui5zi9Q1bk
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) October 18, 2022
Dustin Hopkins heading onto the field for a game winning kick: pic.twitter.com/guMPjqUXBA
— ANTIFAldo (@ANTIFAldo) October 18, 2022
DUSTIN HOPKINS pic.twitter.com/Otjx97qYfJ
— ✨BOLT WRLD ⚡️🌎 (@BoltWrld) October 18, 2022
Dustin Hopkins might be the toughest kicker in football. In obvious pain.
— Will Compton (@_willcompton) October 18, 2022
Good job, good effort by Hopkins to help his team win the game. The fans loved it.
