Dec. 23 (UPI) — Atlanta Falcons punter and kickoff specialist Matt Bosher delivered a huge hit on Carolina Panthers returner Kenjon Barner that was reminiscent of injured strong safety Keanu Neal.
Atlanta has struggled with tackling this season, but Bosher didn’t add to those woes after slamming Barner down in the first half of the Falcons’ 24-10 victory over the Panthers on Sunday.
Barner took the kickoff at his own 5-yard line and raced to the 35 before meeting the arms of Bosher. The punter picked up the running back and threw him to the ground and followed it with a flex of his arms while standing over the return man.
The play drew praise from teammates as Bosher returned to the Falcons’ sideline with 5:25 remaining in the second quarter and the score tied at 10-10. The hit sparked a change of momentum with Atlanta blanking the Panthers for the next two quarters and scoring 14 unanswered points to seal the win.
The Falcons moved to 6-9 on the season after the win but have already been eliminated from postseason contention.
Bosher had five punts for 235 yards (47.0 average) with a long of 54 yards against the Panthers. He also had two punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
Bosher entered Sunday’s matchup with 50 punts and 45.0 yards per kick for the season. 18 of those punts were downed inside the 20.