Falcons vs. Saints Injuries & Inactives: Kyle Pitts Going For History
The Atlanta Falcons are out of the playoffs, but rookie tight end Kyle Pitts will be active and go for history in Week 18 against the New Orleans Saints.
Pitts is 58 yards shy of Mike Ditka's rookie tight end receiving record. Ditka recorded 1,076 receiving yards for the Chicago Bears in a 14-game season in 1961.
Pitts had three receptions for 62 yards in Atlanta's first meeting this season against New Orleans. He's been dealing with a hamstring injury this week.
In addition to Pitts, cornerback Fabian Moreau will be active. Moreau missed last week's game against the Buffalo Bills, but he was a full participant in practice this week. He has 56 combined tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss and 11 pass defenses this season.
But rookie offensive guard Jalen Mayfield will not play. In addition to Mayfield, the Falcons included quarterback Josh Rosen, defensive lineman John Cominsky, wide receiver Frank Darby, linebacker James Vaughters and defensive lineman Tyeler Davison on their inactive list Sunday.
The Falcons added Mayfield to their injury list late in the week when he missed practice because of a back injury. In Mayfield's place, the Falcons could start Josh Andrews, Colby Gossett or Drew Dalman.
With Rosen inactive, Feleipe Franks will serve as the backup quarterback Sunday.
For the Saints, wide receiver Kenny Stills, running back Mark Ingram, cornerback PJ Williams, quarterback Ian Book, cornerback Bradley Roby, and tackle Terron Armstead will be inactive.
Atlanta leads the all-time series against New Orleans 54-51. The Falcons came back to beat the Saints, 27-25, in Week 9 on Nov. 7. Atlanta led by 18 with under 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Saints scored three straight touchdowns to take a one-point lead with 1:01 left.
On the ensuing Atlanta drive, Matt Ryan found Cordarrelle Patterson for a 64-yard completion to move the Falcons into field-goal range. Younghoe Koo hit a 29-yarder in the final seconds for the win.
Despite that Falcons victory, the Saints have largely dominated this rivalry over the last few years. New Orleans is 6-3 versus Atlanta since the start of the 2017 season.
The Saints are also 4-2 in their last six visits to Atlanta.
This will be Ryan's 27th career start against New Orleans. He's only started more games against Carolina and Tampa Bay. Ryan holds a 10-16 career record with 46 touchdowns and 18 interceptions against the Saints.
New Orleans needs a victory Sunday and a San Francisco 49ers loss to the Los Angeles Rams to earn the final playoff spot in the NFC. The Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention with a loss at Buffalo last week.
The Falcons would love nothing more than to end the Saints' season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Week 18. But Falcons fans will likely have the team's draft position on their minds Sunday as well. Atlanta could draft anywhere from No. 7 to No. 14 depending upon all the results around the NFL.
New Orleans is a 4.5-point favorite in Sunday's matchup. The Falcons and Saints will kick off at 4:25 pm ET on FOX. The 49ers-Rams showdown will also start at 4:25.
