FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons’ Matt Bryant and the Lions’ Jason Hanson, two of the hottest kickers in the NFL, will be on the field in a key NFC game at 1 p.m. Sunday at Ford Field in Detroit.
Bryant has made 24 consecutive field-goal attempts. His last miss was a 41-yarder at Philadelphia on Oct. 17, 2010.
Hanson, who’s in his 20th season in the league, has made 25 of his past 28 attempts.
If the game comes down to one kick, both teams appear to be in good shape.
“He has a leg that can kick the field goals 50-plus yards,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said of Hanson. “He and Matt have had very good careers, and they are some of the more experienced kickers in the NFL, to be politically correct.”
Bryant, 36, is in his 10th year in the league. He’s a young puppy compared with Hanson, 41.
Hanson was the 56th player taken in the 1992 draft and is in his 20th season.
“His first year was 1992, which means I would have been in high school,” Bryant said.
In the Lions’ season opener, Hanson played in his 297th game with the franchise to set the record for most games played by a player for a single team, surpassing Bruce Matthews (Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, 296).
“Jason, he’s a guy that just keeps whipping Father Time,” Smith said. “He’s a [41]-year-old kicker that still is a touchback-kicker. He’s only missed one field-goal attempt this year, and I think he’s 100 percent on extra points.”
Hanson has been productive through five head coaches and two interim head coaches. He has made it through the Rodney Peete, Scott Mitchell, Charlie Batch and Joey Harrington quarterback tenures, too.
He has made a 50-yard field goal in 17 of his 20 seasons and has gone to two Pro Bowls.
“There is obviously no sign of him slowing down,” Bryant said. “Hopefully I can follow in his footsteps.”
Since coming out of the United Football League to revive his career in 2009, Bryant has not shown any signs of slowing, either.
He needs two more field goals to tie Norm Johnson for the longest streak in franchise history. Johnson made 26 field goals over the 1992 and 1993 seasons.
Bryant hopes that Hanson will share some of his secrets if they chat before the game.
”To be able to play that long means that you’ve got to be good enough for them to bring you back each and every year so, that’s my goal,” Bryant said.
Bryant has a few secrets to his own longevity.
“I run and lift with all of these other guys,” Bryant said. “I try to do everything that the position players do.”
Bryant has a key that helps him maintain his mental edge.
“You can’t get too high with the highs or too lows with the lows,” Bryant said. “I concentrate on a few things. ‘Down and through’ is kind of my reminder. Head down and kick through the ball seems to have worked out pretty good.”
If the game comes down to a kick, Bryant plans to be ready.
“If my number gets called upon to go out there and do it, I will approach it like every other kick,” Bryant said. “ ‘Down and through.’ That’s the main thing, for me, keep it simple and rely on that.”
