Competing in Super Bowl LI in Houston is a full-circle moment for Atlanta offensive lineman Jake Matthews – a return to his hometown on the biggest stage of professional sports. Jake’s father Bruce Matthews played for the Houston Oilers for seventeen years, losing Super Bowl 1999 at the Georgia Dome; his sons’ clobbering of the Packers in the stadiums last game was a redemption for the immediate Matthews family.
The former Elkins high school and A&M grad will play his third season competing in the championship game.
“I think I’m happier for Jake right now than I was when I made it with the Titans because he’s my son, and I get to be part of his enjoyment,” Bruce told the Houston Chronicle. “This is such a great thing for him and our family.”
A native of Missouri City, the Matthews family was competitive in every facet of life – fueled by the athletic nature of the game that employed the family since the 1950s.
“I loved being part of a football family,” said Jake, as per ESPN. “Every weekend there were always two, three, four games to go to or play in. What could be better than that?”
A four-star standout with Elkins, Matthews garnered a trophy case of honors in his high school career, collecting awards for consensus All-American, first-team all-district and all-greater Houston honoree.
According to Rivals, Matthews was ranked eighth in the state and fielded ten offers from FBS programs before choosing A&M.
Since his freshman campaign, coach Kevin Sumlin incorporated Matthews immediately into the Aggies offensive scheme, earning first-team All-American honors in 2012 and All-SEC in 2013. During his final year with the maroon and white, he was crucial in an offense that outscored opponents 2-1, blocking for freshman Johnny Manziel in route to his record-breaking Heisman-winning year.
The Falcons made him the seventh Matthews to compete in the NFL with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2014 draft – three spots higher than his father.
The Matthews football family tree was planted three generations ago, the fertile roots nourished by Gridiron success: 58 seasons, nearly 800 games and 22 Pro Bowls.
Jake’s brothers include Kevin and Mike Matthews – also graduates from A&M and competitors with varied lengths of career in professional football at center.
Only cousin Clay Matthews has a Super Bowl ring – a passing of the family torch when the Falcons overcame the Packers in the NFC title game.
After dealing with various injuries his first two seasons, Jake was a mainstay in a Falcons offense that averaged 33.7 points a game- 39 points during their six-game winning streak. Although he’s allowed five sacks, Matthews contained some of the top pass rushers in the NFL, allowing Ryan 537 pass plays this season and consistently protecting the quarterbacks blindside; Jake has played 1,003 offensive snaps, or 93.8 percent.
“Without question, I think this is my best season,” Matthews said to the Star-telegram. “Going into year three, I could just tell I was that much more confident in what I was doing.”
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