Sports

10 years after Giant whiff, Falcons’ Bryant makes winning field goal

TAKE MATT! Falcons kicker Matt Bryant (3) pumps his fist as teammates celebrate after he hit a 49-yard field goal with eight seconds left to beat the Seahawks 30-28 in the NFC Divisional playoffs yesterday. (AP)

ATLANTA — Matt Bryant helped the Falcons avoid a monumental collapse when his 49-yard field goal sailed through the uprights with eight seconds remaining in yesterday’s 30-28 NFC Divisional playoff victory over the Seahawks. It was a glorious moment for Bryant, who early in his NFL career experienced something quite the opposite.

“I don’t like to think about that game,’’ he said.

Bryant is an established kicker in his 11th season, but during the 2002 season he was an unproven rookie when he represented the last-gasp hope of the reeling Giants. A wild-card playoff game against the 49ers at Candlestick Park had devolved badly, as the Giants’ 38-14 lead with four minutes to go in the third quarter had turned into a 39-38 deficit when, with six seconds remaining, Bryant was called on to try to save the Giants the embarrassment of the second-worst postseason meltdown in NFL history.

Bryant lined up for a 41-yard field-goal attempt but he never got to kick. Trey Junkin, a 41-year-old long-snapper signed that week out of retirement, skipped a terrible low snap to holder Matt Allen, who couldn’t get the ball down and instead fired a pass into the end zone that fell incomplete.

“That one was pretty bad, seems like so long ago and yet it keeps getting played,’’ Bryant said.

The Falcons were fashioning their own horrific loss, blowing a 27-7 fourth-quarter lead and trailing 28-27 when the 37-year-old Bryant was called on to attempt the 49-yarder.

“We just wanted to get Matt in field-goal range,” Roddy White said. “He’s been money all year long. Going out there we knew he was going to hit it.’’

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll tried to ice Bryant by calling a timeout. Bryant attempted the kick anyway and knocked it wide right. Bryant admitted “I didn’t really have to kick it’’ and faulted himself for messing up “the timing thing.’’ Carroll afterwards actually made some noise, complaining Bryant should have been hit with a penalty for delay of game for taking what amounted to a practice kick.

“The officials told us before the game nobody would get a chance to do that,’’ Carroll said.

Bryant had no trouble sending the actual attempt through. It was his sixth game-winning field goal since joining the Falcons in 2009 and none has been bigger.

“I didn’t see the end of it,’’ said Bryant, who pumped his fist even before the ball sailed through the uprights. “I knew I hit it pretty good and I saw it going toward the middle, so I figured that was enough.’’

Falcons coach Mike Smith said “I feel like we have two Matty Ices. We got Matty Ice Ryan and Matty Ice Bryant. Matt Bryant has done some really big things for us.’’