It’s early, but the play of the 2017 NFL season belongs to Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper and his quarterback, Matt Ryan.
Facing a third-and-three from deep in his own territory, Ryan nearly fell, then extended the play long enough to find Hooper wide open down field. Hooper then extended the play on his own, unleashing a sick stiff-arm on his way to the end zone for an 88-yard touchdown reception.
🚨🚨 88-YARD TD ALERT! 🚨🚨@M_Ryan02. @AustinHooper18. Oh My.
(check out the STIFF-ARM!) #InBrotherhood #ATLvsCHI https://t.co/pqqZgKvxdh
— NFL (@NFL) September 10, 2017
Wow.
From Ryan’s extension to Hooper putting Quintin Demps on his back, that play was just a thing of beauty. It also gave the Falcons some breathing room against a Chicago Bears team that had been surprisingly pesky.