SANTA CLARA—The Atlanta Falcons rolled into Levi’s Stadium and snuck one by the San Francisco 49ers in a thriller on Sunday afternoon.
It was supposed to be a “homecoming game” for Watsonville native Ty Sambrailo, who plays tackle for the Falcons.
But instead, the St. Francis High alumnus had to watch from the sidelines, wearing team apparel and nursing a leg injury that’s been bothering him for the past two weeks. Atlanta defeated San Francisco, 29-22, in the final seconds of the game with a go-ahead touchdown by receiver Julio Jones.
“Super exciting finish,” Sambrailo said. “We got down and fought back and it’s always fun to win games like that.”
Sambrailo said the Falcons’ season hasn’t been going as well as they wanted but big wins similar to Sunday’s victory are the reason why he plays the game.
“It’s a lot of fun,” he said.
CBS Sports reported on Saturday that Sambrailo was ruled out for Sunday’s game against the 49ers. The veteran offensive tackle sat out his second consecutive game with a hamstring injury.
Despite the injury, Sambrailo still had the chance to get away to have dinner with his family on Friday night.
“Just saw the family and hung out with them a little bit,” he said. “I wish I’d play today but obviously it happens.”
Offensive guard James Carpenter (concussion) was also ruled out on a depleted Falcons’ offensive line, which gave up just two sacks to a San Francisco defense that ranked No. 3 in the NFL with 45 sacks going into Sunday’s game.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said he felt like the offensive line played extremely well, especially with several key players such as Sambrailo missing due to injuries.
Ryan said San Francisco’s front seven is strong, fast and excellent against the run and pass. He said the defensive line, which includes rookie standout Nick Bosa, is one of the better ones in the league.
“I thought our guys battled up front, got the job done,” Ryan said. “We had a good plan, executed the plan well but our guys up front played well.”
Prior to his NFL career, Sambrailo began at St. Francis as a two-way lineman and three-year team captain.
Sambrailo was a first-team all-state selection as a senior and he was named the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League Offensive and Defensive Lineman of the Year.
Sambrailo started 42 of 48 games at Colorado State. He saw playing time at all five positions along the offensive line in four seasons with the Rams.
In 2014, Sambrailo was named to the All-Mountain West Conference First Team as a senior.
The Denver Broncos originally selected Sambrailo in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft. He played 13 games in his first two seasons and won Super Bowl 50 in 2016.
In 2017, Atlanta acquired Sambrailo in exchange for a 2018 fifth-round draft pick. He played in all 16 games with four starts in his second season with the Falcons.
Sambrailo made his way as the Falcons’ starting right tackle near the end of last season. He played right tackle alongside Jake Matthews at left tackle, Wes Schweitzer at left guard, Alex Mack at center and Zane Beadles at right guard.
The Falcons agreed to terms with Sambrailo on a three-year contract extension in February. He’s played in 44 games including 13 starts since he arrived.
This season, he’s been on somewhat of a rocky road and there hasn’t been anything sweet about it.
Sambrailo hasn’t played more than 11 percent of Atlanta’s offensive snaps since Sept. 15, while rookie right tackle Kaleb McGary has played 100 percent of the snaps since Week 3.
“Unfortunately it’s part of the game,” Sambrailo said. “The injury rate is 100 percent is what I was always told. Everybody is going to get hurt at some point.”
Sambrailo said at this point it’s just about managing and limiting the injury until he can get back on the field, which he said he hopes is soon.
“I just wish I could be out there contributing, helping and playing,” he said. “Doing my part to contribute to a team win is what you miss out on.”
As of now, Sambrailo said all he can do is cheer for the rest of his teammates and play any role he can. He’s motivated to get back in the lineup and he mentioned it hasn’t been hard to stay in that mindset until he gets to play again.
“You’re grinding to get back out there,” Sambrailo said. “When you’re not out there, you’re working to get back out there.”
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Editor’s Note: This article will be published in the Dec. 20 edition of The Pajaronian.
