HOUSTON — Cleveland Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins left the field in the first half of Sunday's game against the Texans and will not return.
Hopkins took a fall while trying to make a tackle on a Texans kick return, one that saw Dameon Pierce run the kick back 98 yards for a touchdown.
The Browns kicker went into the medical tent for evaluation.
Hopkins was listed as questionable to return to Sunday's game with a hamstring injury. As the Browns returned from halftime, Hopkins was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Punter Corey Bojorquez will step in for kickoffs, but the Browns don't have a true player to kick extra points or field goals, with Bojorquez the team's holder and no backup plan from there.
After Hopkins' injury, the Browns scored a touchdown, and with no one to kick the PAT, they went for two on a QB keeper from Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who was in for the play. The 2-point conversion was successful.
Should they keep the lead they took in the first half, the Browns will likely continue that throughout the game, going for touchdowns rather than field goals and opting for 2-point conversions over PATs.
The real question is what the Browns do if Hopkins' hamstring injury lingers—with the team on a short week, set to play the New York Jets on Thursday night in Cleveland.
