Atlanta Falcons Offense: Week 13 Grades Vs Baltimore
The Atlanta Falcons offense was stymied by the Baltimore Ravens in their 26-16 week 13 home loss. These are the Dirty Birds that flew high, and those who were grounded against the Ravens.
Week 13 saw the Atlanta Falcons offense put on their worse performance of the season. The Atlanta offense produced only 131 total yards. According to Paul Newberry of the Associated Press, that was their lowest output since 105 yards on December 12, 1999 against the San Francisco 49ers.
The Dirty Birds are seeing their playoff chances fly further away with every defeat. Here are the players who played well, and those who struggled against the Ravens.
Offensive Player of the Week:
Austin Hooper – Tight End
Austin Hooper was the most reliable offensive player in an abysmal game. The tight end out of the University of California was targeted six times and pulled down five catches for 44 yards and a touchdown. Hooper averaged 8.8 yards per reception and had 22 yards after the catch.
Austin Hooper did not drop a pass and Matt Ryan had a quarterback rating of 136.8 when targeting him. Two of Hooper’s five catches moved the chains for Atlanta Falcons first downs.
Three of the five catches Hooper made were against free safety Chuck Clark. The other two were on cornerback Jimmy Smith. Pro Football Focus awarded Austin Hooper with a passing game grade of 80.4 for his play.
Hooper has really made strides this season, and has already surpassed his career high for receptions by 11. The touchdown vs Baltimore gave Hooper a new career high for touchdowns with four. He is only seven yards away from eclipsing his career best yardage mark. This would give him career bests across the board.
Austin Hooper isn’t putting up huge yardage per reception, but he’s developing into a nice possession and red zone target for Matt Ryan. He is our Player of the Week, in a week in which it was difficult to find many positives.