October 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cYou don\u2019t get to 183 without having to overcome a lot of challenges,\u201d Lindstrom said. \u201cHe\u2019s got a lot of pride in it. I don\u2019t think, in terms of being a professional, anybody is better than Jake. I have seen him overcome so many things in our seven years together. He\u2019s attacking this like he attacks everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
The last time Matthews did not start a game for the Falcons was September of 2014, but many of his teammates weren\u2019t aware of his streak until it was in danger.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s insane,\u201d wide receiver Drake London said. \u201cJake is an incredible person. He\u2019s an amazing dude. I need to follow his rule book, though: just stay incognito and do my job to the best of my ability.\u201d<\/p>\n
Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. called the number \u201ccrazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way he takes care of his body, the person that he is, it\u2019s like a freak of nature,\u201d Penix said. \u201cWhatever he\u2019s doing, everybody should want that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matthews has not been doing anything magical to prolong his availability, he said. He gives most of the credit to good genes. His father, Hall of Fame offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, played 19 seasons in the NFL, starting 308 games, including 229 in a row from 1987 to 2002. That\u2019s the current record for an offensive lineman. Quarterback Brett Favre holds the overall record at 297 games.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve talked to my dad about it, and he was the same way. He\u2019s like, \u2018I\u2019m doing the same things all the other guys are doing,\u2019\u201d Matthews said. \u201cWe\u2019ve just been blessed. I\u2019d love to take credit for it and say I\u2019m this special person, but I really think God has blessed me with an ability to heal and keep going at it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matthews hasn\u2019t spoken to the media since the Bills game, but he talked with The Athletic about his streak last week. The Falcons picked Matthews ninth overall in the 2014 draft. Since then, he has played 12,577 snaps, more than any offensive player in the league over that span.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just trying to do my job, man,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
When Matthews sprained his PCL during the 2016 season, team doctors told him he\u2019d miss three to four weeks, but he didn\u2019t miss a game.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate the feeling of not being out there,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to be someone the guys can count on.\u201d<\/p>\n
If Matthews can\u2019t be out there, Atlanta likely will go with Michael Jerrell at left tackle. Jerrell, who was acquired in a late-August trade with Seattle, finished the Buffalo game after Matthews was injured.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are always going to be things you look at and try to critique, but he knew all the play calls, he knew everything that was going on,\u201d Penix said of Jerrell. \u201cHe was out there confident. There is always room to grow, but I do feel like he played a good game. He\u2019s been nothing but great since he got here. He has worked extremely hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was only Jerrell\u2019s second game at left tackle in the NFL. A sixth-round pick in 2024, he played in 10 games, starting three, for the Seahawks last year. Atlanta traded for Jerrell after the season-ending injury to right tackle Kaleb McGary. The Falcons entered the offseason with Storm Norton as their third tackle, but Norton started the season on injured reserve due to an ankle injury. He is expected to return this season, but the Falcons have not opened his 21-day window to return to the active roster.<\/p>\n
With Elijah Wilkinson starting at right tackle, Jerrell has assumed the role of swing tackle on game days, meaning he\u2019s responsible for filling in at left or right tackle if an injury requires it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a little crazy Sunday,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard because you\u2019re trying to play catch-up with everybody who is already in their groove. I feel like I did OK. I could have done better. I\u2019m always looking to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n
If Matthews is unavailable, Atlanta could juggle its offensive line and put guard Matthew Bergeron at tackle, but offensive coordinator Zac Robinson indicated that Jerrell would keep the left tackle spot in that scenario.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will monitor it, but we feel good with Michael there,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n
Rookie Jack Nelson, a sixth-round pick, also is an option.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been healthy and out on the practice field, and he continues to get better,\u201d Robinson said of Nelson. \u201cWe\u2019ll continue to let it play out the rest of the week.\u201d<\/p>\n