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Mark Raimondi
Flowering Branch, Ga.– atlanta falcons left tackle jake matthews Abandoned “Monday Night Football” game against buffalo bill In Week 6 with a high ankle sprain. In most cases, such an injury will keep an NFL player out for several weeks.
Not Matthews.
The 12-year veteran then did what he always does when something like this happens. He takes it day by day, sets a goal for the next 24 hours and tries to get more ready to play as the week goes on.
“It’s like, I try not to panic and think, ‘Am I going to play in this game?'” Matthews told ESPN. “Let’s see how Wednesday feels.”
Sure enough, Matthews was back in the starting lineup for the Falcons’ Week 7 game against san francisco 49ersThis is what he does, Whether it’s injuries or the birth of his first child, Matthews has proven to be the NFL’s Mr, Dependable,
“We know who he is,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “We know what he doesn’t forget.”
Last week, Matthews started his 193rd straight game, making his streak the fifth-longest among offensive linemen since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. when he starts against monday night Los Angeles RamsMatthews will tie the former cleveland browns‘Lineman Doug Dicken is fourth on that list.
The 33-year-old Matthews also has the longest active receiving streak in the NFL. Chicago Bears Security Kevin Byrd III Is in second place with 162. No quarterback has started as many consecutive games as Matthews since philip riversWho had a 240-game streak before coming back, retiring in 2020 indianapolis colts Last week.
What makes Matthews’ streak unique is that the offensive lineman with the longest such streak since the merger is Matthews’ father Bruce, a Hall of Famer who played 19 seasons in the league. The Bruins played 229 consecutive games from 1987 to 2021.
Matthews’ grandfather Clay Sr. played in the NFL, as did his father, an uncle (Clay Jr.), a cousin (Clay III) and a brother (Kevin).
“Any time you can play so long, stay so healthy, be so reliable, recover so quickly, heal so well, it’s pretty unique,” the Falcons quarterback. cancer cousin Said. “I think genetics have to play a factor at some point. Not just his father, but his uncles, his cousins. It’s pretty incredible, and I would love to do genetic testing on their family and then combine it with my own family and see where the deficiencies are.”
In 2014, Matthews missed the second game of his career. Matthews injured his foot and at the team’s family dinner after the game, Bruce told him he better wear his Normatec shoes to heal, because “you’ve got to play next Sunday.”
“And he shared that story with me and it was cool,” Falcons Pro Bowl right guard chris lindstrom Said. “Just that attitude of, ‘Yeah, you’ve got to move on.’ So, I think his mentality and his mind are as powerful as anything.”
Jake Matthews said there’s a genetic element to it, but it’s also preparation, work ethic, nutrition, his belief and sheer willpower.
Bruce joked that getting ready for games in his era involved “an ice bag and a Sunday morning, how do you feel?” Now, he sees the kind of work his son goes through to get ready each week, including steam rooms, cold plunges and infrared saunas.
“Obviously he’s starting the offseason with his workouts, but he has a whole regimen that he goes through every evening and I say, ‘Yeah, I don’t want to miss any games,’ but I don’t know if I can commit to that,” Bruce told ESPN.
Jake Matthews’ streak ended almost three years ago, and it had nothing to do with injury.
In 2022, Matthews and his wife, Meggie, were expected to have their first child, a son named Beckett Thomas. Meggie went into labor early in the morning before Thursday night’s game against the Falcons carolina panthers — in Charlotte.
A Falcons security officer drove Matthews in a rental car back to the Atlanta area at high speed on I-85. Matthews reached the hospital in time to help with the delivery process. They detained Beckett for 15 minutes and then took him to owner Arthur Blank’s private jet to fly back to Charlotte for the game. Matthews arrived about 30 minutes before warmups.
“My wife is a godsend,” Matthews said. “She was well-rounded. She’s also competitive.”
“She knew the cutoff when I had to leave was 3:30. She was watching the clock the whole time. You want to talk about streaks and tough decisions and all that. ‘Hey, let’s see what happens.’ And thankfully he did, and I think this streak is more important to him than it is to me.”
Matthews said Magee would sometimes ask him how long he thought he would play. He is contracted with the Falcons until 2028. Their response is usually: “Let’s see how this week of practice goes.”
It’s not that Matthews is merely durable. A Pro Bowler in 2018, he has been a consistently good left tackle throughout his career. This season, he ranks 14th in the NFL among tackles in pass block win rate (93%).
Matthews said he feels healthy, and although he is perhaps closer to the end of his career than the beginning, he believes his knowledge and experience of the game continues to improve.
Therefore, any talk of retirement may be premature. Matthews has more games to start. If he starts the final two games this season, Matthews will fall 37 games shy of his father’s record. In other words, a little more than two years, if the NFL keeps a regular season to 17 games.
However, Matthews is not thinking about that. If he had been obsessed with such things, he probably wouldn’t be in the situation he is in now.
“I get overwhelmed when I start thinking and planning about the future,” Matthews said. “So, I’m just going to take it day by day.”
Will he keep driving it until the wheels fall off?
“I would love to,” Matthews said. “As long as the body can take it. And like I said, I’m feeling great. So, God willing, it will continue.”
