Andre Szmyt keeps cashing in on the biggest stage, and Thursday night gave the Syracuse alum another spotlight moment.
The Cleveland Browns beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-24 on Thursday Night Football, and Szmyt delivered the swing kick with a 56-yard field goal in the waning seconds. The win pushed Cleveland to 3-1 and into first place in the AFC North, a sharp turn after the Browns were beaten 34-10 by the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1.
Through four games, Szmyt has been perfect: 8-for-8 on field goals and 7-for-7 on extra points. For a Browns team that has to squeeze every edge it can find, that kind of reliability matters. Special teams has become a real weapon, and Szmyt is a big reason why.
The kicker is in his second season with Cleveland and has spent both years with the organization. In 2025, he went 24-of-27 on field goals and 25-of-26 on extra points.
Now the Browns get the mini-bye before returning Oct. 11 against the New York Jets, who are 1-2.
Szmyt’s Syracuse résumé still stands out, too. The Illinois native played five seasons for the Orange, using the extra eligibility tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. Across 60 games, he made 85 of 105 field goals and 199 of 203 extra points.
He also appeared in two bowl games for Syracuse, in 2018 and 2022, and earned All-America honors as a freshman. That season, he led the nation in field goals made with 30, field goals attempted with 34 and points scored with 151.
Back in Syracuse, the Orange are set to return to action Saturday at noon ET at UConn. Syracuse is 1-2 after losses to Cal and Pitt, while the Huskies are 2-2 after a loss to Miami (Ohio).
The Orange have not played since Sept. 17, giving them a long layoff before the trip. Quarterback Steve Angeli is expected to start even after throwing five interceptions in his last two games, all in the second half. Backup quarterback Amari Odom, a transfer from Kennesaw State, is also expected to play, though it is not clear how much.
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