Falcons kicker Matt Bryant is showing no signs of slowing down in his 14th NFL season.
Bryant, 39, set a career-high with five field goals during the Falcons’ 29-18 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday at the Georgia Dome. He made attempts from 20, 21, 23, 28 and 45 yards with no misses.
“In a perfect world, you hope you’re kicking 17 extra points but if they count on you to get a field goal, I just go out there and do it,” Bryant said. “Everything keeps working out, so I just go out there and keep banging them through.”
Bryant has made 91.7 percent of his field-goal attempts this season (22 of 24) to rank tied for seventh in the league in accuracy after the weekend. Bryant’s long this season is 54 yards and he made a 52-yard field goal to beat the Saints in overtime in Week 1.
Bryant is 17-for-17 on attempts less than 50 yards.
“Matt is an offensive weapon because when he gets an opportunity to kick the ball on a field goal attempt, he’s going to make it,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “He’s got very good range for a guy that’s been in the League for a long time. Sometimes the range goes down. He has a very good strong leg, and he’s a very accurate kicker, and he’s helped us win a lot of football games.”
Bryant played in 31 games for three teams from 2002-2004 before becoming Tampa Bay’s regular kicker from 2005-2008. Bryant played five games for the Falcons in 2009 and has been their only kicker since 2010.
“I’ve adopted a mantra of ‘Do good today so they’ll let you come back tomorrow,” Bryant said. “I’m not taking anything for granted and going out there and trying to get a win while doing my best.”
