Atlanta Falcons: Studs and duds vs. Rams in Week 7

Stud: Austin Hooper

Although Atlanta has an impressive wide receiving group that features the likes of Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and company, Austin Hooper has emerged as one of the primary targets for Matt Ryan. Hooper continued his strong start to the 2019 campaign on Sunday, recording the lone touchdown in the contest for the Falcons in a blowout loss.

Hooper finished the game with a total of four catches on five targets, recording 46 yards receiving along with one touchdown in the fourth quarter. He averaged 11.5 yards per catch with a game-long reception of 19 yards for Atlanta.

In a season that has been already filled with enough disappointment for the Falcons, one positive that has come out of everything is the fact that Hooper is becoming a dangerous and reliable target within the flow of the offense.

Dud: Losing streak continues

With their losing streak extending to five games in a row and their record now falling to a disappointing 1-6 on the year, it’s hard to imagine the Falcons being able to battle back out of this early-season hole to try and put a run together for the playoffs later on in the season. Atlanta turns around and has another tough opponent next week at home when they host the Seattle Seahawks. It could be very likely we see Atlanta at 1-7 overall heading into its bye in Week 9.

The struggles by the Falcons early on in the season and them quickly falling behind the rest of the pack in the NFC and the NFL in general, we could see Atlanta starting to evaluate the trade market and move some players around as it begins to shift its focus on the future and where it wants to go moving forward in terms of personnel on the team.