NFL's Jake Matthews Travels to Atlanta for Son's Birth, Makes It to Game Hours Later in Charlotte

Atlanta Falcons/Instagram; Meggi Matthews/Instagram

Atlanta Falcons' player Jake Matthews had one Thursday night game he'll never forget.

The 30-year-old offensive tackle was in his hotel room in Charlotte ahead of the team's Thursday Night Football matchup against the Carolina Panthers when wife Meggi reached out to let him know she was in labor.

"It was just scrambling making a decision of what to do," Matthews told ESPN of the situation. "Hoping to catch a flight and that didn't work out so forget it, we'll jump in a car and let's drive."

Meggi was originally scheduled to be induced on Sunday, but their baby boy had other plans. Eager to make the birth of his first baby, Matthews left Charlotte around 9:30 a.m. and arrived in Atlanta around 12:30 p.m.

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"Only you would come on game day baby boy!" Meggi captioned a photo of the two just after her husband's arrival. "Here we go!! Let's get dad back for this game!"

Hours later, the couple welcomed son Beckett Thomas, around 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10.

Jake got just 15 minutes of time with his baby boy before Falcons owner Arthur Blanke picked him up and got him back to Charlotte, with the NFL Instagram account sharing a video of Matthews rushing into the building a little over an hour before kickoff.

"Baby boy is safely delivered and @jakematthews70 is safely delivered to the plane to Charlotte," Meggi tweeted after the birth. "RISE UP @AtlantaFalcons!!!! I did my best Falcons fans."

By making the game, Matthews maintains the longest active streak in the NFL with 137 consecutive games.

The couple — who tied the knot in March 2021 — first shared their pregnancy news on Instagram in May, revealing days later that they would welcome a baby boy.