Kicker Matt Prater earned the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for games played in December/January. It is the second such honor of his career (Sept., 2009) and he is the first Bronco to be named Special Teams Player of the Month since 2009, when Royal (Oct.) won the award.
Prater finished the last five games of the season 6-of-7 for field goals, including two game-tying field goals with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and two game-winning kicks.
The fifth-year kicker knotted Denver’s Dec. 4 game at Minnesota at 32-32 with a 46-yard field goal with 1:33 to play, then won the game with a 23-yarder as time expired in regulation.
One week later, Prater became just the second player in NFL history to kick a 50+yard field goal with less than a minute remaining to force overtime and go on to kick an overtime game winner from 50+ yards in the same game. Trailing to the Bears 10-7 with three seconds to play, Prater evened the game 10-10 with a 59-yard kick that matched his career high. He went on to win the game with a 51-yard kick in overtime, extending the Broncos win streak to six games. He earned the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week Award following the game vs. Chicago.
Prater made all four of his attempts in the fourth quarter or overtime during the final month of the season to bring his career conversion rate in the fourth quarter or overtime to 28-of-29 (.966). He made both of his attempts from 50+yards in December/January, and is now 12-of-16 (.750) on career field goal attempts from 50+ yards, which makes him the most accurate kicker from 50+ yards in NFL history (players who started their careers after 1970 / min. 10 att.).
-Stuart Zaas
Tags: AFC Special Teams Player of the Month, Matt Prater, Monthly Awards
Prater and Colquitt both got snubbed by the Pro Bowl voters!!!
Prater will break the NFL record for the longest FG of all time!
Way to go Prater.
Lechler and Janakowski (sp?) … only reasons Prater and Colquit get no shine. Congrats to Prater. Always considered him one of the best kickers in this league. Struggled alot this year, but he is also pretty clutch in his own rights.
TRB
Prater is the man!
Congrats sir!
Am I the only one who thinks McGahees mouth is too small for his face? lol … its jsut the way he talks
PRATER did have a really good month in December! I like our Special Teams this season until the last two games. MUCH improved from the past five years!!!
GOOD JOB BRONCOS!!!
Congrats Prater. Not being bias, but i have to say that he’s got to be the best clutch kicker in the NFL.
Nice, he deserves it. I was shocked when we didn’t go for the long FG against the Chiefs last weekend.
Lord Orange
Sir Prater
Duke Elway
That’s some Royalty company there….
As much as I hope we light up the score board with our shovel passes, this game might be a showcase for the kickers – advantage Prater!
Well, thank you…i guess…i come to read the blogs at least 3 times during the duty week. I enjoy reading each and everyones opinions. I hope to have some intellectual inputs throughout my bronco blog tenure.
I’m pretty certain this game will come down to a field position battle with just maybe a TD for each team. and that’s a big maybe. I’m predicting under 34 points to be scored in total…….
The line is now up to 9 point Steelers favorite from 8 earlier this week.
I would have to disagree. Without Clark covering safety and undercover blitzing, there run D is quite weak. If Hochstein can make holes like Kuper did we should have a heavy run delivery. We need to keep Brown, Wallace, and Miller from catching the ball. i say we use the same tactics as our previous 3 games have done. Fold in the pocket and put pressure on Ben. He may be a good pocket passer, but he’s goin to be hard pressed for any movement on that ankle of his. Ben is going to be VONDOOMED!
Two thoughts this morning…
1) maybe they are saving the TE’s for the playoffs?!!! Lol
2) the playoff loss to the Jags in 96 was, in my opinion, the reason we won back to back championships. That season got of to an incredible start. I mean we were blowing through our schedule. And by the time December rolled through, we had 1 loss, the AFC West and home field advantage. So the decision to “rest the starters” was infamously made. When kickoff took place, it had been more than a month since key players had any meaningful action. The team was not SHARPE (pun intended). It showed too. The Jags scored on their final 6 possessions en route to a 30-27 upset.
That shocking defeat led to the uniform changes. The next season we weren’t as powerful and ended up with the wild card. The ‘revenge tour’ in the playoffs. And XXXII…which ended in an even bigger upset. The lessons of 96 payed off in 98 when once again, this time as defending champs, we
Oops. Fat fingers hit send before I was finished….
We plowed through our competition. And this time, the starters did not get any ‘rest’!!!!!
GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tebow can throw both long and short passes. No way of knowing what is going on in his head, but receivers who drop perfect passes messes with the QB’s head. No worries!!! I expect a lot of passing and a lot of rec. to be utilized. It’ll be a great day!
The biggest issue is getting and maintaining offensive momentum.
BTW Carnage – McG had 140+ yards last week.
just read sugg’s take on tebow on nfl.com
he actually makes a lot of valid points………….sorry to say tebow disciples………lol
I think my biggest worry is Harrison taking more “McCoy-type” cheap shots when Tebow rolls outside of the pocket. I know we’ve seen him take some hits, but a heavy (an in my opinion, usually intentional) helmet-to-helmet from “dirty” James Harrison could really change things.
BT – just read your “coach” perspective. I’m on board, I like the old school drop for twenty or give a lap approach! Lol
Btw, seeing ur a farmer if I remember correctly, do u grow ur own?
You guys are crazy, this is not as free a platform as you may think it is, illegal is illegal.
Suggs has always been one of my favorite players.
Wow, agreed bay, what are you guys thinking?
Obviously they are not.
This is Pat Kirwan’s prediction:
The Steelers are a veteran team with a single-minded purpose: Win the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh’s defense will smother the craze formerly known as Tebowmania. Steelers 21, Broncos 10
No to worry, he doesn’t count in the contest, haha.
Not to …
This is the type of game where we must have the “ridiculous turnover”. The one where we either pick one off or recover a fumble and return it for a TD. to be a “ridiculous turnover” it must be returned for at least 50 yards with nothing but the end zone in the players way. The one where every fan is just screaming and jumping up and down and in circles while the player is still running. Those are the greatest moments in any football game. We need one of those, and we have to have one of those.
Curt
We just might with Ben, he has turned it over plenty since he has been banged up.
i agree curtou i think either a return of a int,fumble or a kick return i think will be much needed in this game
i think tebow needs to play with more confidence he has looked pretty unsure of whats going on since that buffalo game.
i would like to think tebow plays great in big games but i think last week was a big sign that even when a win gets you in and you only need 8 points he couldnt figure it out. i still think he can bounce back with a good game against pitt if the coaches stop throwing deep bombs every pass play. i think our lack of offense has been a mix of bad playcalling and tebow having a few to many turnovers. Why mcoy thinks run run pass every damn possesion is a great formula i have no idea. And when he does call a pass play its so obvious and we only throw deep.
Playing under the receievers and having the safeties cover may be good choice, the the safeties have to be very aggressive with keeping their eyes on the ball. with VonDoom out there the pressure will def force BigB to throw misfires. As long as our defense isn’t in there the whole darn game we can cover the pass. But like Curt said, we need the turnovers to put some oomph in the game. And yes tebow has to be more aggressive/confident, it’s the only way we can ensure longer drives to get us to the RZ and not 3and out it so darn often. I think some of our 3rd and longs need to come out with a shuffle pass, or even a sweep would keep that “curtain” open.
I agree LofO, the key is to take advantage of Polumalo’s agressive pursuit. If possible. The quick draw or short, over the middle type passes until we get them expecting it. Then try a bomb. Can McG catch? If so maybe him out of the backfield once in a while. McG is a great back and up to the task,so lets use him. There is no tomorrow if you lose.
23 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
26 Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.
27 The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”
How many Feared Staying on the Tim Tebow Bandwagon that appeared to going down in Flames and Jumped off ? God tested MILLIONS of peoples Faith in 1 moment and its fasinating to watch how many peoples faith went south for the winter in 1 moment.God made Believers out of a whole country where they tuned in to watch a miracle in the 4th quarter,BELIEVING 1 would come and once people say they BELIEVE ,God tested there faith and POOOOOOOOOOOOF.the doubters Pride has GONE THROUGH THE clouds ,ENJOY the humble pie on sunday because GOD IS SOOOOOOOOO WOUNDERFUL,AMAZING,AWESOME,IN HIS WAYS .He WILL NEVER FORSAKE TIM .even WHEN he walks through the valley of the shadow of deaith he will be there so FEAR NO EVIL FOR JESUS CHRIST IS WITH YOU AMEN even until the END OF THE AGE.
May Tebow be with you TC36… ;o)
corithians 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
Psalm 3:6 I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side
Psalm 27:3 Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.
Proverbs 3:5-65Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Faith can move mountains it is written:Just believe,even when all you have left is a Prayer,Its Then Miracles Happen.
Bay- Very realistic prediction I fear. The difference between their team’s experience and play and ours is immense. And not in a good way. We’ve played incredibly pathetic as of late and the Steelers will watch the KC game and do it better then they did, forcing Tebow to make mistakes.
Still a chance though that we can win! My hopes are high even if it means my Sunday will be ruined with frustration!