Matt
Prater was coaching his son's football team in Arizona earlier this week when
he received a phone call with a unique invitation.
Bright and early on Thursday morning, the 18-year veteran kicker
arrived at the Bills facility, passed a physical examination and signed with
the team's practice squad. Three days later, his new teammates hoisted him into
the air moments after he drilled a 32-yard field goal to complete Buffalo's
15-point fourth quarter comeback against the Baltimore Ravens.
"When we got down early by two scores, no one blinked at
all, no one skipped a beat, they just kept going," Prater said after the
Bills' Week 1 win. "And then at the end, when we had gotten the ball back
with [1:26 remaining], I knew we were going to get a shot."
After
trading touchdowns with the Ravens throughout the second half, the Bills
defense forced the Ravens to punt, putting the ball back into the hands of
quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills offense with the game on the line.
Prater hadn't seen much of Allen and the 2025 Buffalo Bills, but
what he had seen in his brief stint was enough to give him confidence in the
team's ability to be great.
"I saw a really good practice, a
really good team and I was excited to be a part of it," Prater said of the
Thursday session he watched before joining the team in practice the following
day. "So, I saw practice, got a good night's sleep, kicked a little bit on
Friday and then rolled into the game."
Prater's
time with the team on Friday was the only practice he had with long snapper
Reid Ferguson and punter/holder Brad Robbins, as the trio worked to refine
their field goal operation. However, Prater and Robbins' familiarity extends
beyond this week, as the two special teamers spent time working together in the
offseason during Prater's time with the Lions and Robbins' college career at
Michigan.
So, when it came time for the game-winning kick, Prater bought
into the confidence he had built over summers with Robbins and over a long
weekend in Buffalo.
"Reid and Brad do such a good job and Coach kind of explained the situation, which I kind of knew from the years. But I just had all the confidence in the world and I just have to go do my part and just try to kick it straight. The snap and holds were money all day, protection was great and so I just have to do my part and make the kicks," Prater said.
The faith Prater felt for his new team was reciprocated, even
after just one practice.
"I couldn't be prouder, I'm happy
for Matt, just joining us here and being able to do that. There's a lot that
went into it before that, but just awesome to execute at that level with the
game on the line," Bills head coach Sean McDermott said after the game.
"I was very confident in him when he went out there."
To
put Prater in position to hit the game winner took precision and elite
decision-making from Allen. The reigning 2024 Most Valuable Player connected on
all five of his passing attempts on the Bills' final drive, including a 32-yard
floater over the heads of two Ravens defenders and into the arms of wide
receiver Joshua Palmer to get the Bills within Prater's field goal range.
Even before the Bills found themselves with the opportunity for
the game-winning drive Allen, like Prater, McDermott and the rest of the Bills,
never lost faith.
"No one on the sideline blinked. I mean, down 15 points,
whatever we were, with five, six minutes left, staying with it, fans leaving
the stadium, you know – you've got to play this game for 60 minutes,"
Allen said. "That's a really good outfit that we played and God willing,
we take care of business how we're supposed to."
If football is a business, then Prater is a "true
pro", to quote McDermott. Prater's game-winner, which split the uprights
with several feet to spare, likely would have been good from much further than
the 32 yards needed.
"I could never watch when we're kicking a game winner like
that," said DE Joey Bosa. "So I was just praying it went in, and it
did, and fireworks went off."
Like any true pro, Prater was happy that his coworkers had done
their job to make his as easy as possible. When asked how far he thought he
could have connected on the game winner, he smiled.
"Oh, I don't know. Right there was
perfect."
See how the Bills celebrated their dramatic 41-40 fourth quarter
comeback win against the Ravens. This gallery is presented by Ticketmaster.