Inside Falcons OT Jake Matthews' 'Surreal' Day After Birth of First Child, Loss vs. Panthers

Atlanta Falcons starting left tackle Jake Matthews traveled from Atlanta to Charlotte, back to Atlanta and then back to Charlotte all in the span of 24 hours, with a good bit of anxiety included. But through it all, Matthews persevered, taking his normal spot on the field and making history in the process - with one extra fan in his corner.

Atlanta Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews has been as steady and consistent as can be over the last nine seasons, but his day at the office on Thursday was anything but.

Matthews' whirlwind 24 hours actually began the night before, when he boarded the team plane to Charlotte for Thursday night's game against the Carolina Panthers.

Back home, his wife, Meggi, who was pregnant with the couple's first child, felt ill, but after a doctor's appointment earlier that day, was under the impression that she wouldn't be induced until Sunday.

"I'm like alright, well, we're scheduled to get you induced on Sunday, just hang in there," Matthews told his wife. "I'll play this game and get back Friday and we're on schedule."

But naturally, things didn't stick to the schedule.

Matthews woke up at 6:45 a.m. Thursday morning to a ringing hotel phone. Instantly, he knew something was off - and the 10 missed calls from Meggi only reinforced the feeling.

The message? Meggi was at the hospital, in labor with the couple's child - and had been since 5:00 a.m.

With just 13 and a half hours until kickoff, things were going to happen fast, but it largely didn't work out that way. Nearly three hours later, Matthews was still at the team's hotel in Charlotte, trying to arrange a flight back to Atlanta - but the flight never happened.

At 9:30 a.m., less than 11 hours until kickoff, Matthews jumped into a rental car with a member of the Falcons' security team and made the nearly four-hour drive up I-85 South ... in just three hours, arriving at the hospital at 12:30.

Meggi's already long, stressful morning was further drawn out to ensure her husband could make it in time, which ultimately worked out according to plan.

"They actually had to do some things to slow the process down for me to get there," Matthews said. "I couldn't praise her enough for what she went through. She deserves all the credit in the world but yeah, once I got there, they broke her water, it was to the races, and she just did great."

Beckett Thomas Matthews arrived at 3:15 p.m., some four weeks early but weighing in at six pounds - with his length ranking in the 95th percentile, per the elder Matthews, which only makes sense considering the long-line of lanky offensive linemen within the family.

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A post shared by Meggi Matthews (@meggi_matthews)

Some 15 minutes later, Beckett had been held and photos were taken - and his father was off to the airport. Kickoff was in less than five hours, and a car trip would've been cutting it close.

Fortunately, Matthews knew a guy with a plane who was preparing to make the trip to Charlotte for the game: Falcons owner Arthur Blank.

At 6:55 p.m., just 80 minutes before kickoff, Matthews came running into the Falcons' locker room at Bank of America Stadium, sandals clanking off the ground as he hustled to go through his regular pre-game routine.

When you have a baby during the day, but Thursday Night Football at 8:15 pic.twitter.com/ybKJWGr7ax

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) November 11, 2022

But, as had been the theme of the day, things didn't necessarily go according to schedule - because his teammates rightfully celebrated the occasion.

"It was cool, I got back in the locker room and the guys reacted," said Matthews. "It was a round of applauses, a lot of high-fiving, hugging and stuff so it was pretty surreal."

The rest of the night was a return to normalcy for Matthews, who played all 63 offensive snaps for the Falcons, extending his streak of games started to 137, the longest active mark in the NFL.

It was a difficult night for Atlanta's offense, mustering just three points in the first half and 15 for the game in a 22-15 loss to the Panthers. But for Matthews, the on-field slugfest did little to take away from the day as a whole.

"Couldn't be happier with the first part of the day and how everything timed out and worked," the new dad said. "It really was pushing it - I think I got here an hour before kickoff. Obviously, the game didn't go as well, but my wife did great. It was an incredible experience."

When Matthews received a hefty three-year contract extension this past offseason, a key reason behind it was his locker room presence. A nine-year veteran who's played in over 140 games and missed just one, the Texas A&M alum is the model of consistency and embodies what Falcons second-year coach Arthur Smith is all about: toughness and passion.

Smith, a father of three, reiterated his feelings about Matthews following the difficult loss, appreciating the broader perspective of the 30-year-old's day.

"It says a lot about Jake," Smith said "He got to be there for the birth of his first child and he came back and wanted to play."

His first early wake-up call since college. The panic and anxiety inside the hotel as he planned his travel back to Atlanta. The three-hour drive. The birth of his first child. The plane ride back - and, finally, playing in his team's lone primetime game of the season.

"It was very surreal," Matthews said. "It almost felt like a dream. Bouncing around and getting dressed and getting out there, it felt like I was ready to go."

Now, Matthews gets a long weekend off and 10 days of dad duty before the Falcons hit the field again, taking on the Chicago Bears inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

But nothing will compare to Matthews' 24-hour stretch from leaving the tarmac in Atlanta on Wednesday night to taking the field in Charlotte on Thursday. It was hectic, it was special, and it was life changing.

And through it all, Matthews was there for his team and, most importantly, his wife, proving to be as reliable off the field as he is on it.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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