After missing on his first attempt of the day, a 53-yarder, Redskins kicker Dustin Hopkins nailed a 52-yard attempt on Sunday to force overtime vs. the Falcons.
With the difference between going into overtime and the game being over in regulation weighing on the shoulders of Dustin Hopkins, the Washington Redskins kicker converted from 52 yards out with ease to knot Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons at 19 with no time left in the fourth quarter.
Check out these top photos from the Washington Redskins' 2015 Week 5 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons Oct. 11, 2015, at the Georgia Dome.
Hopkins, who joined the team just four weeks ago, said he was glad he could come through in the clutch, especially after missing an earlier attempt.
"It's funny; I probably hit the first one more solid then the second one," Hopkins said. "But like I said, I just wish I would have made the first one. But that being said, I'm glad that I could recoup from the miss and just focus on the next kick."
After the Falcons went ahead 19-16 with just 24 seconds left, quarterback Kirk Cousins hit three different receivers on three different passes to drive the Redskins to a spot where Hopkins would try a long field goal.
The Florida State product said that the range, which can be daunting even for many kickers in the NFL, didn't create any additional worries.
"With 52, I don't have to do anything different, as opposed to a 40 or a 35 or anything like that," he said. "So I'm just going to hit a good solid ball, and thank the Lord that's what happened. So I wish we would have got a little different outcome."
Hopkins finished the day 2-for-3 with makes from 52 and 28 yards and a miss from 53 yards.
His counterpart Matt Bryant, meanwhile, widely considered one of the best kickers in the NFL, was just 2-for-4 on the day.
"You're indoors, there was no heavy A/C, wind or anything like that," Hopkins said. "So you probably play pretty true and at 53, I just [was] left straight. I didn't start it where I wanted to, and I didn't curve out or anything. It was never quite the right angle to start with."
While Hopkins was pleased to extend the game, he admitted frustration with no longer being perfect on field goal tries with the Redskins. "I just wish I would have made the first one," he said. "But with that being said, I'm glad that I could recoup from the miss and just focus on the next kick."
.
.
.
