Matt Bryant ruled out against Washington

The Falcons were hopeful that Matt Bryant and his balky hamstring would be ready to go after the bye week. We unfortunately learned today that the Falcons’ kicker is still not fit to go, so Giorgio Tavecchio will resume kicking duties against Washington.

Bryant is still recovering from a strained hamstring that he sustained by kicking a football to the Kuiper Belt against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That 57-yard field goal was critical for the Falcons to seal a victory against the Bucs, but Bryant immediately grabbed his thigh as the ball sailed through the uprights. He’s been on the mend, but per Quinn, still needs a bit more time to fully heal.

So the Falcons will again turn to Giorgio Tavecchio who went 3/3 on field goals against the Giants, his final playing out much like Matt Bryant’s against Tampa: a 56-yarder in the waning minutes that proved to be the game-winner. Not a bad option to have in your back pocket when the franchise’s leading scorer is on the shelf.

Once Matt Bryant does return, the Falcons will have a bit of a conundrum on their hands. Matt Bryant’s future with the team is entirely up in the air, but carrying two kickers on the active roster is somewhat bizarre. If Tavecchio keeps up his good work on Sunday, the Falcons braintrust will have some interesting decisions to make if they’d like to keep him for the future.