Days after drawing up plays for youth football, Matt Prater notches game-winner for Bills
The Bills stayed the course, and Prater watched as quarterback Josh Allen led the offense back down the field to set up his game-winner.
When the call from the Buffalo Bills came through, Matt Prater was writing up plays for a football team in Arizona.
“It wasn’t a high school, it’s the youth San Tan football league,” Prater said. "And I was coaching 9- to 11-year-olds.”
Bills place kicker Matt Prater is lifted up by his teammates after hitting a game-winning field goal against the Ravens on Sunday at Highmark Stadium.
Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
The team’s first game is Sept. 27, and Prater’s son Pax plays quarterback. There was plenty to do, until kicking duties called.
Shortly after, he was at the airport, boarding a cross-country flight.
Prater, 41, officially joined the Bills on Thursday, had his first practice Friday, and he kicked the 32-yard game-winner as time expired in the 41-40 thriller over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.
Sound exhausting? To do it all, he landed in Buffalo from Arizona around 6:30 or 7 a.m. on Thursday, as he joined the Bills practice squad. Then on Friday, the Bills placed kicker Tyler Bass on injured reserve. They elevated Prater from the practice squad to the active roster on Saturday.
As improbable as it sounded, it made for a storybook ending during Highmark Stadium's final season.
“Yeah, it was crazy,” Prater said after the game. “You know, took a red eye. Came to practice. Got a feel, got to meet some of the guys. And honestly, I saw a really good practice, a really good team, and I was excited to be a part of it. Yeah, so, saw practice, got a good night’s sleep, kicked a little bit Friday, and then rolled into the game.”
And what a game to roll into. The Bills' and the Ravens’ Sunday night tilt saw Baltimore jump out to a 15-point lead that extended late into the fourth quarter. But the Bills stayed the course, and Prater watched as quarterback Josh Allen led the offense back down the field to set up his game-winner.
“Well, the biggest thing I noticed, when we got down early, two scores, no one blinked at all or skipped a beat,” Prater said of his new team. “They just kept going. And other places in the past, it didn’t seem like that. They’d kind of crumble almost, be defeated. And they just kept fighting.
“And then the end, when we got the ball back, 30 seconds, I knew we were going to get a shot. And then when they got us super close, I was like oh, that’s even better.”
Prater is in his 19th year in the league, and he has had game-winners before. On Sunday, he became the oldest player in Bills history to score for the team. But his last kick came in Week 4 of last year’s season with the Arizona Cardinals. In the lead up to Week 5, Prater tore the meniscus in his planting leg.
In his time rehabbing and staying ready, he practiced with former Bills punter Matt Haack and with long snappers as well.
“So, I was getting snaps and holds at least, instead of just kicking off the sticks,” he said. “So, it’s as close as I could get to game reps with those guys. But working out, coaching the kids in football, and honestly, just being honestly a full-time dad.”
He would drive to dance and to gymnastics and to football. He did drop-off and pickup at school. But he stayed ready.
When Prater showed up in Buffalo on Thursday, Bills coach Sean McDermott could see the experience all over him.
“Right away you could just tell that he's been in the league for a long time,” McDermott said Sunday. “He's a true pro. Just honestly watching him Friday … we were in red zone and then I turned around and watched Matt kick, because that was his first time really kicking for us. So we could get feel for what his distance is.
“And then we stayed after a little bit to watch him again. Just again trying to build familiarity with our kicker, right? It was a little bit windier than it was tonight. So that was a bit of a different environment. But Matt's a true pro.”
When Prater was with the Detroit Lions for seven years, his time overlapped with when now-Bills punter Brad Robbins was at University of Michigan. The two would work out together, building a bond that would benefit the Bills this week, when Robbins was the holder for Prater.
Robbins also got to know Prater’s kids. He knew Pax played quarterback, and when Prater arrived in Buffalo, Robbins told Prater to tell Allen about Pax.
“Honestly, I met him in the locker room two days ago,” Allen said. “He showed me a video of his son playing quarterback, that’s how we met. And today, before the game, he comes up to me in the locker room, before we even (took) the field, he just said ‘Hey, I promise you I’m going to give you everything I’ve got tonight.’ ”
Prater wanted to build that trust as quickly as possible.
“Well, it was just something I wanted to tell (Allen),” Prater said. “Like, ‘I know we don’t know each other that well yet, but I just want to let you know, like I know I just got here, and it may not be perfect right now, but I’m going to do everything I can to try to be perfect to help. Just help this team win while I’m here.’”
After the kick, Allen gave Prater a massive hug. The Bills sealed the final home opener at Highmark Stadium with a win, thanks to Prater.
“I’m still on cloud nine,” Prater said. “Such a fun experience, and just awesome to be a part of it.”
