Kyle Pitts Realizes Potential As Falcons Steal Win Against Buccaneers

TAMPA BAY – The Atlanta Falcons were treated to a bit of a masterclass on Thursday night, and one that they have been hoping to see since 2021 – Kyle Pitts Sr. stepped up and had the game of his career.

The oft-maligned tight end had a career night for the Falcons in the win. He finished with a career-high 166 yards receiving and three touchdowns. Eight of his 11 receptions went for a first down or a touchdown in this game.

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To put his touchdown total into a broader context, Pitts had accounted for three touchdowns in a season just once, coming into tonight’s contest. He matched that in this game, alone.

“It was the plan all along,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said about the performance from Pitts. “Kyle’s our guy. When you’re down a couple of your guys like Drake and some of those types of guys, Kyle’s really stepped into that role and become a lead-dog guy. He’s done an awesome job.

“Tonight, we talked about some of the plays he didn’t make when he had some of those good games over the last couple of weeks. He made those plays tonight and showed up in a major way. That’s some big-time play by him and stuff that we expect.”

His performance was historic, but not just for personal metrics.

According to ESPN Insights, Pitts became the first tight end with 150 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a game since Shannon Sharpe in 1996.

Thursday’s performance was the crown jewel of what has been a tremendous stretch of games for the tight end. After this game, Pitts now has 24 catches for 338 yards and three touchdowns over his last three outings.

“It means a lot, that’s a great person to be behind – or beside, now,” Pitts said after the game about his performance in relation to the Hall of Fame tight end. “I just want to keep competing and try to put another one on tape.”

The tight end said it came down to quarterback Kirk Cousins trusting him in his routes and him winning when he was able to get isolated on a single defender. Pitts just trusted that the ball would find him, and find him it did.

Cousins targeted him on more than a quarter of his total passing attempts against Tampa, and Pitts accounted for nearly a third of his completions and all of his touchdowns.

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“Kyle just continues to be a great talent when it comes to his ability to separate and run,” Cousins said after the game. “Obviously, he’s a big frame, and Zac [Robinson] did a great job, especially on a short week, designing ways to get Kyle opportunities, and we were able to take advantage of them.”

With Drake London set to return in the coming weeks, it remains to be seen what his contributions will be. The wideout has commanded an overwhelming share of the passing offense when he is active, but maybe the tight end has solidified himself as the potential secondary option that the Falcons have been hoping to have with him in this offense.