Atlanta Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews has a day he will never forget

Atlanta Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews had a Thursday unlike any other.

The starting left tackle for the Falcons was in North Carolina for Atlanta’s Thursday night game against the Carolina Panthers. When he woke up on Thursday morning at the team’s hotel, he checked his phone like we all do upon waking up.

Matthews noticed he had missed around ten phone calls from his wife Meggi, who had gone into labor with their first child.

The left tackle caught a flight home and got to the hospital for the birth of their first child, a baby boy:

But then it was time to get back to Charlotte for the game. That is when team owner Arthur Blank stepped in. Blank was set to fly from Atlanta to Charlotte for the Thursday night game, and he offered to give his starting left tackle a ride:

Matthews was on track to make it to the stadium in time, and was listed on the active gameday roster prior to kickoff:

The Falcons social media team shared a clip of Matthews racing into the locker room shortly after arriving at the stadium, just over an hour before kickoff:

Then, when there Falcons offense took the field for the first time, there was #70, holding down the left tackle spot. When Marcus Mariota connected with wide receiver Damiere Byrd on this deep in-cut, there was Matthews giving his quarterback a clean pocket:

When the Falcons finally reached the end zone in the second half, with Mariota connecting with Drake London on a short touchdown pass to cut into the Panthers’ lead, there was Matthews holding the line up front, giving Mariota the time he needed to scan the field and find London in the end zone:

Matthews and the Falcons closed the gap on the Panthers in the fourth quarter, when Mariota connected with KhaDarel Hodge from 25 yards out with just under three minutes remaining. The extra point from Younghoe Koo made the score 22-15, with 2:56 remaining in the game.

Atlanta’s defense handed Mariota the football by forcing a three-and-out on Carolina’s next possession. But a pair of sacks from Panthers pass rusher Marquis Haynes Sr., including one on fourth down, ended the Atlanta threat.

Carolina won by a final score of 25-15.

Still, this was an incredible day for Matthews, and his family. By making it back to Charlotte in time to be in the starting lineup, Matthews kept his streak of starting game intact at 137, which is the longest active streak in the league:

But before he did that, he was able to get home in time to be with his wife Meggi, and to see the birth of his son. Which is something he will never forget.

Now it is time for him to get back to Atlanta, see his wife and son, and try and catch some sleep when he can.