Sir Purr
Well-known member
- Mar 16, 2019
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ATLANTA — Safety Juston Burris had a chance to make a game-changing play in the first half, but didn't get it done. He wasn't going to let a second opportunity slip away.
Midway through the second quarter of the Panthers' eventual 23-16 victory over the Falcons, defensive end Brian Burns strip-sacked quarterback Matt Ryan. The ball squirted far behind the line of scrimmage, and Burris looked like he had a chance to scoop and score.
The only problem was, he didn't scoop.
"I just didn't get my hands underneath it," Burris said. "That's on me. I should've had that."
The Falcons recovered the fumble all the way back at their own 26, and to make matters worse, Burns suffered a concussion while making a tackle on the next play.
"It did bother me," Burris said. "I just had to let it go."
He got that opportunity in the fourth quarter with the Panthers clinging to a 20-13 lead. After a lengthy possession, Atlanta had a chance to tie the game with a third-and-4 from Carolina's 5-yard line.
On the play, Burris realized Ryan would probably target him since he was lined up against wideout Russell Gage.
"It was a safety on a slot receiver. They thought they had a mismatch," Burris said. "But I couldn't panic, and I was just trying to make a play. The coaches made that call because they have faith in me to cover the slot receiver. So I just wanted to prove them right."
That he did.
Burris kept solid positioning throughout Gage's route. When the ball came out, Burris stepped in front of the receiver, made the catch, and got two feet down before falling out of the back of the end zone.
"Just go up and get the ball," Burris thought as the ball was in the air. "Be a playmaker. Be a thief."