Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper scored three touchdowns as a rookie in 2016, but the first one of his sophomore season in the NFL was a little more special.
He caught a deep pass from quarterback Matt Ryan early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game and took it a career-high 88 yards to the Chicago Bears' end zone to put the Falcons up 20-10.
"I swear to God, I felt like I lived a lifetime in my head when the ball was in the air," said Hooper, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. "I'm not even kidding, I think I blacked out for like a part of it."
Hooper caught 19 passes for 271 yards last year, but his longest reception was 44 yards.
"I was present in the moment," he added, "but honestly I just remember going in the end zone after I stiff-armed somebody and seeing all of my teammates in the end zone. I saw it on a replay, and it sunk in, and I was like, 'Oh, this is pretty cool.'"
Hooper, a third-round pick in 2016, finished as the Falcons' leading receiver on the day, hauling in two receptions for a total of 128 yards.
