Among the storylines to follow in Monday night’s game as the status of Chargers kicker Dustin Hopkins.
Hopkins hurt his hamstring on a second quarter extra point — he said he felt it “pop” after the game — and remained in to try four field goals over the rest of the night. The Chargers needed each of them because their offense couldn’t find the end zone and Hopkins hit all of them, including the overtime game-winner.
After the 19-16 win, Hopkins said he felt kicking field goals while punter JK Scott handled kickoffs would “be the best option” for the Chargers despite pain that dropped him to his knees after his kicks.
“Before every kick, you knew it was going to feel like someone was stabbing you with a knife,” Hopkins said, via Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times. “It was like, ‘All right. Let’s do this.’ I was praying too. I was, ‘Lord, just be with me.’ The other part was, ‘Pain’s temporary.’ I was just committed to swinging and dealing with pain after.”
It remains to be seen if Hopkins will now miss time as a result of the injury, but the Chargers can be thankful that he stuck it out to help them win on Monday.
