Jake Matthews brushes off Patriots' unflattering scouting report of him

The Falcons left tackle on what the Patriots said about him: 'Everyone's got an opinion'

Left tackle Jakes Matthews was the sixth-overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft for one simple reason: The Falcons needed to protect Matt Ryan. The former Texas A&M standout has started 47 of a possible 48 games in his NFL career and he'll be on the field when the Falcons face the Bears on Sunday afternoon.

Matthews hasn't lived up to his first-round pedigree; he ranked dead last (84th) among all offensive tackles as a rookie, according to Pro Football Focus' grades, improved to 23rd (out of 76) in 2015 but slipped to 41st (out of 76) last season. That inconsistency certainly had something to do with the Patriots' scouting report ahead of Super Bowl LI.

We know this because in a recent documentary on the Patriots' success, "Do Your Job, Part II," NFL Network cameras captured Patriots director of pro personnel Dave Ziegler describing Matthews as "light on the edge" and that opponents would have success targeting his outside shoulder.

The scouting report didn't go unheeded; Matthews was flagged for holding with just under four minutes to go in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, negating a Matt Ryan completion on 3rd-and-23 that would have kept Atlanta in field goal range. The Falcons would go on to blow a 28-3 late 3rd quarter lead and lose to the Patriots in overtime. You know, just in case you forgot how that nightmare ended.

Matthews, who didn't watch "Do your Job, Part II," was asked this week about the scouting report.

"I mean, s---, everyone's got an opinion," Matthews told ESPN's Vaughn McClure. "I just go out there and do my job the best I can and keep getting better. That's all I can really do. What am I'm going to say that's going to change it? I know I'm a good player and I know I can play. So, just keep working."

Matthews' teammate, right tackle Ryan Schraeder, also came to his defense. Schraeder added: "That s---, it's just whatever. [The Patriots] can say whatever they want."

The Falcons' focus is on Chicago but somewhere in the back of Matthews' mind has to be Atlanta's Week 7 opponent: The New England Patriots.