Falcons kicker Matt Bryant was perfect coming into Week 6
He’s perfect no more. His first miss of the season was a 59-yarder with two seconds remaining in the first half against the Dolphins. It shifted momentum in Miami’s favor.
Up until that point, the Atlanta offense was clicking. The Falcons had taken over with 1:04 remaining in the half after Deion Jones intercepted Jay Cutler. Ryan moved the offense down the field efficiently and got into a range that Bryant could hit from just before halftime.
Bryant has attempted three other field goals longer than 50 yards this season and made all three. He was on Atlanta’s injury report this week with a back injury, which may have been a factor.
Having Cook was a contingency plan that helped give Keenum the room he needed to breathe. With him gone, NFL defenses are going to gear up to stop the Vikings passing attack and that’s not the kind of pressure you want your third-choice quarterback to face.
The biggest question now is whether Hunt can keep up production.
Hunt’s pace would be tough to sustain even if the schedule wasn’t conspiring against him. The Chiefs still have yet to face some of the league’s toughest defenses on the schedule the Texans this week, the Steelers a week later, the Bills in Week 12, and two intra-divisional feuds with the Broncos are still to come.
But that doesn’t matter. I’m just anxious to watch him every week, checking off lesser milestones as he flirts with history.
Every effortless cut at the line is a thrill to see. I don’t need a dazzling highlight every week to keep watching. Just knowing that there’s a good chance to see him rumble 50 yards to the end zone or take a shovel pass from the flat to the promised land will keep me coming back.
