Austin Hooper says Falcons up-tempo offense kept them in game

The Falcons have gotten off to some really slow starts through their first six games of the 2019 season.

Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has abandoned some of his ineffective early-season tendencies and let this offense become more aggressive over the past two weeks.

The changes have helped, as Atlanta’s averaged 32.5 points per game since Week 5. Leading the charge has been Austin Hooper, who now leads all tight ends in catches (42) and is second in yardage (480 receiving yards) at his position.

Hooper talked about the effectiveness of running an up-tempo scheme after the Falcons’ Week 6 loss, saying it made Cardinals defenders tired in the second half.

Talked to Austin Hooper in the locker room following the game, he said they went more up-tempo in the second half trying to tire some of the bigger Cardinals players out. Seemed to work well as Hooper & Matt Ryan were unstoppable in the second half. #Falcons

— Kelsey Conway (@FalconsKelsey) October 14, 2019

The fourth-year tight end caught all eight of his targets from quarterback Matt Ryan, finishing with 117 yards and a score.

It may be too little, too late for the Falcons to fix things this season but Hooper is a building block and he needs to be locked up by this team long-term.

He’s currently on pace for 112 catches, 1,280 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. That could get expensive, but Hooper is worth the investment.