At times this season, Falcons’ second-year tight end Austin Hooper has not played with a sense of urgency.
He didn’t fight back to the ball against the Dolphins and he had a drop that turn into an interception against the Saints.
With the Falcons needing all of their weapons in New Orleans, Hooper is on the hot seat for this game.
Hooper caught two passes for 23 yards in the previous meeting. He was targeted four times.
Against the Bucs on Monday night, he caught both of his two targets for 12 yards.
“I think Hoop has done a nice job for us,” Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said. “He’s had some weeks where he kind of popped up and made a number of plays for us and some other weeks it’s been quiet.”
On the season, Hooper’s the third-leading receiver on the team with 43 catches for 473 yards and three touchdowns.
The fluctuation of his production is built into the offense.
“That’s kind of how the offense goes,” Ryan said. “We’ve got so many different pieces to it. At certain times certain people are going to step up and step outside the normal amount of touches or whatever.”
The Falcons still believe that Hooper, from Stanford, can get the job done.
“We have complete trust in him and belief that when he gets his chances that he’s going to make plays,” Ryan said. “When the calls come and he’s the guy, we believe in him.”
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