Wiedmer: Matty Ice II saves Falcons again

Atlanta Falcons kicker Matt Bryant (3) kicks the ball for a 55-yard long field goal as Atlanta Falcons punter Matt Bosher (5) holds the ball and Oakland Raiders cornerback Michael Huff (24) defends during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 14, 2012, in Atlanta. The Falcons won 26-23.
Atlanta Falcons kicker Matt Bryant (3) kicks the ball for a 55-yard long field goal as Atlanta Falcons punter Matt Bosher (5) holds the ball and Oakland Raiders cornerback Michael Huff (24) defends during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 14, 2012, in Atlanta. The Falcons won 26-23.

ATLANTA -- Will the real Matty Ice please take a bow?

No, not that lanky lad in the No. 2 Atlanta Falcons jersey who used to be as cool as thin mints with the game on the line. That Matt Ryan still looks like a pretty fair NFL quarterback at times, but not necessarily one still deserving of such a hip moniker.

We are instead talking about the Falcons' slightly chunkier chap draped in jersey No. 3, the killer kicker Matt Bryant, who should forever more be known as Matty Ice II, unless the original Matty Ice is willing to lower himself to No. 2.

After all, it was Matt Bryant who kicked the 47-yard field goal with 6:27 remaining in Monday night's fourth quarter to make the Falcons a 26-24 winner over the Philadelphia Eagles after the Falcs had completely blown a 20-3 halftime lead to suddenly, shockingly trail the visitors by a point (24-23) with 8:37 to play.

"No," the 40-year-old Bryant answered when asked if he thought Atlanta's season opener would come down to his radar right foot. "But it wouldn't have been the first time."

Not exactly.

Not when this was the 16th time his foot has delivered the Falcons a game winner.

Not when he made 29 of 32 field-goal tries a year ago.

Not when he's hit nearly 90 percent of his field-goal attempts (148 of 167 for 88.6 percent) in the six years he's been on the Falcons roster, including 11 of 14 from 50 yards or longer.

Not when his 49-yarder knocked the Seattle Seahawks out of the 2013 playoffs.

This is what he does, and when he did it Monday night against the Eagles, first-year coach Dan Quinn, who was the defensive coordinator for those Seahawks, pulled Bryant aside and said, "Good kick."

photo Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) makes a touchdown catch against Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Byron Maxwell (31) during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Sept. 14, 2015, in Atlanta.

Later, when talking about his first win as the Falcons' head coach, Quinn said, "What an awesome night. What an awesome finish. The finish is a huge part of what we're trying to do here, and we had a good one tonight. I think you all saw what we've seen all through training camp, that we have a terrific bunch of competitors here."

They looked like a terrific bunch of competitors in the opening half, when the Falcons soared to a 20-3 halftime lead.

In fact, with barely a minute left in that first half, Quinn showed why he was the guy the Falcons clearly wanted, waiting until Seattle's season bitterly ended in a failed attempt to repeat as Super Bowl champs before offering him the job.

It was at that moment, with barely a minute left until halftime, that the Eagles had the ball at their own 20. It was also then that previous Falcons defenses might have surrendered a field goal, if not a touchdown, such generosity certain to lead to a heartbreaking second half inside the Georgia Dome.

Only what happened next was something huge to build on for the home team. Something to conjure talk of big improvement following last season's 6-10 dumpster fire. Something to make you ponder just how good this team can be when it begins to believe in itself again.

For with the clock about to click under a minute, the silent assassin William Moore picked off Philadelphia quarterback Sam Bradford's weak pass, taking the turnover to the Philly 27.

Then, on first down at the 22 following an Eagles penalty, Ryan found the largely unstoppable Julio Jones down the right sideline for a 22-yard touchdown and a 20-3 lead.

Everyone has heard of Quinn's aggressive style during his days as Seattle's defensive coordinator. But this score was also a result of Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan's decision to go for the jugular following Moore's interception.

One play. One score. One seemingly safe lead. Especially with Jones having already scored two touchdowns and the Falcons nearly doubling the Eagles in total yardage - 203 to 117.

But then the second half began and all that momentum that seemed to arrive with the start of the Falcons' 50th season in the NFL almost instantly evaporated.

Ryan threw his second interception of the game less than two minutes into the third quarter. The Philly offense began to find seams in Quinn's defense - so much so that by the end of the night, it was Philly with 336 total yards and the Falcons with 298, or just 95 in the final two quarters.

Or as Quinn said afterward of Eagles coach Chip Kelly's offense, "You can't simulate what they do, and we had trouble stopping it."

But after Bryant finally returned the lead to Atlanta with his fourth field goal of the night, the Falcons defense forced a Philly field-goal try inside the final three minutes, and the Eagles missed.

Said Bryant, as icy cool as ever in reflecting on his game-winner: "That's seemed to happen a lot in the six years I've been here."

Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com

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