Jake Matthews is giving the Falcons a problem they thought was never coming

For as insane as it sounds, Jake Matthews is currently in the midst of his 13th NFL season, and he's has been as reliable as it gets for the Atlanta Falcons across that timeframe. He hasn't missed a game since Week 2 of his rookie year, and that was all the way in September of 2014. For reference, Mike Smith was still the head coach then.

You gotta give the guy some credit, because he played through the final 13 games of 2025 through a high-ankle sprain. He's a true ironman, which is the reason he's become a fan favorite with Falcons fans, because he's always been that player the team could rely in despite any other turnover.

Given Matthews is 34 years old, it was inevitable that a regression would come at some point, and it seems that that moment is finally here. While Atlanta currently leads the NFL in pressure rate allowed entering Week 4, it hasn't been been because of their veteran tackle--who has been horrible in 2026. Bill Callahan has helped every offensive lineman on the team improve except one: Jake Matthews.

Take Pro Football Focus with a grain of salt, but they are spot-on with their assessment of Matthews. His 46.1 PFF grade ranks 67th out of 70 qualified tackles while he ranks 62nd in pass blocking grade and 69th in run blocking grade. He's a bottom-10 tackle in the NFL by every single metric

Look at this rep from the Falcons' Week 3 victory over the Packers. He was facing off with Lukas Van Ness, and got completely manhandled when he turned the corner. His blend of speed and power overwhelmed the ex-Pro Bowler, and the only reason this didn't result in another sack allowed is because Michael Penix Jr. got the ball off and was flagged for intentional grounding.

People were more worried about Jawaan Taylor being the weak link for this offensive line, but it seems like the idea of a regression from No. 70 didn't cross anyone's mind. He's been more of a liability than expected, and he's a player opposing defenses know they can win against off the edge.

Jake Matthews will be in for a long night against the Saints on Monday

In Week 4, the Dirty Birds are set to travel to New Orleans to face the Saints on Monday Night Football, and that certainly won't be the matchup to get Matthews back on track. The good news here is that Bijan Robinson will likely run wild again, but that doesn't exactly help Atlanta in pass protection.

Now he has to face a Saints' pass-rush that is full of talent such as Chase Young, Carl Granderson, Cameron Jordan, and ex-Falcon Kaden Elliss. Odds are that of those players, the Texas A&M product will see the most face time with Young, who happens to also be the least advantageous matchup.

While he hasn't been the most consistent player in his career to date, the former No. 2 overall pick is tied for fourth in the NFL (alongside T.J. Watt) with 3.5 sacks through three games this season--and he looks primed to reach a new career-high in sacks in 2026. Additionally, his 12 pressures has him tied with players such as Atlanta's Cameron Thomas for 11th in the NFL in that statistic.

And if you saw the way Matthews (and the Falcons as a whole) fared against Watt, this is far from ideal. For those who missed it, he sacked Cooper Rush twice and had a game-clinching pick-six. I'm not saying this will happen with Michael Penix Jr. now starting, but he's proven to be a liability against good pass-rushers.

Jake Matthews is not the same player he once was, so against a pass-rusher with the juice of Chase Young, he might be in for a long night against the Saints on Monday and confirm the Falcons need to find his long-term successor at left tackle.

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