Stephon Gilmore, Panthers Humble Falcons TE Kyle Pitts
ATLANTA -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan tells his teammates all the time that they're one week away from being humbled.
That happened to rookie tight end Kyle Pitts against the Carolina Panthers.
After becoming the first rookie tight end to post back-to-back 100-yard receiving games in 51 years, Pitts only had two catches for 13 yards Sunday. Despite top wide receiver Calvin Ridley missing Sunday's game, Ryan targeted Pitts just six times.
Granted, those six targets were tied for the most on the team. Still, that's a low number, considering Pitts had more than six receptions in each of the last two games.
It was obvious the Panthers attempted to deploy their newest cornerback -- Stephon Gilmore -- on Pitts whenever possible. The 2019 Defensive Player of the Year was physical and made things difficult for the rookie.
"He's a great player," Pitts said of Gilmore. "He kind of gave me a 'Welcome to the NFL.' I have to come back and be better next week."
Pitts had five catches of at least 20 yards last week against the Miami Dolphins. Against the Panthers, his longest reception was 11 yards. Pitts' next longest play was drawing a defensive pass interference penalty against Gilmore for eight yards.
"He's a previous Defensive Player of the Year," Pitts said. "He did some different things that I haven't seen before, so it's just time for me to go back to the lab and fix things."
It's time to go back to the lab for the entire Falcons offense. Ryan referenced the fact the offense didn't have a lot of possessions Sunday in his postgame press conference. That happens when a defense gives up 203 rushing yards.
But the Falcons also only averaged 4.3 yards per play. Ryan had 146 passing yards, which is his fewest in a game since 2018.
It didn't help that the Falcons were missing Ridley. The former 1,000-yard receiver was a scratch Sunday due to a "personal matter." He tweeted during the game that he will be stepping away from football.
It would have been nice for Pitts to step up in the absence of Ridley. The Falcons needed it and will need more from Pitts going forward. Atlanta coach Arthur Smith gave a lot of credit to the Panthers defense for the struggles Pitts and the Falcons offense experienced Sunday.
"They did a nice job covering him," Smith said. "He's a rookie. You guys want to go ahead and get him a bronze bust for him at Canton.
"He's not going to go off for 200 yards every game. We've got other guys that can move the football and score. Give them credit."
The Falcons (3-4) will aim to move back to the .500 mark next week when they visit the New Orleans Saints. The Saints haven't given up 100 yards or a touchdown to an opposing tight end this season, but the caliber of tight ends the Saints have faced this season hasn't been particularly high, either.
A humble Pitts will have the opportunity to bounce back.
