The (Literal) Increasing Trend From Falcons Tight End Kyle Pitts

Kyle Pitts has kept up a scoring trend during his time with the Atlanta Falcons that has been as linear as it gets

Pitts has literally been building his scoring stats one year at a time | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

With one game remaining, Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts is on pace to extend what has become an almost comically improbable scoring trend. Pitts was drafted fourth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, and every year he’s been in the league has correlated with the number of times he finds the endzone.

In year one, as a rookie, the tight end amassed over 1,000 yards, but only scored one time. In year two, Pitts was hurt and played just 10 games. However, he still managed to find the endzone twice that season. And so on and so forth, with the pattern continuing to hold in years three and four.

Now in year five, Pitts sits at five touchdowns through 16 games played. If he scores a touchdown in Week 18 in Atlanta’s final game of the season against the New Orleans Saints, he would finally bring an end to what has been a genuinely unusual scoring trend.

Pitts had just one touchdown in the first 13 games of the season, and it looked like he may not even come close to the five touchdowns needed to keep the year and touchdown streak alive. 

That was until he went off for three touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football in Week 15. It seems the streak may be inevitable, with Pitts scoring four touchdowns in Weeks 15 and 16 combined to get his touchdown total up to five with a week to go.

As the years go by, this comical touchdown streak may slowly turn into a blessing for Atlanta. If the trend were to hold, that would mean Pitts is on track to score six touchdowns next season. Only 12 tight ends scored six or more touchdowns this season. Only nine scored six or more touchdowns in 2024. 

Pitts will head into the offseason as a free agent. He was not given an extension after his four-year rookie deal was over; however, Atlanta did pick up his fifth-year option before the 2025 season. This year, the “Unicorn” tight end has hauled in 82 balls for 870 yards and five touchdowns. Career highs in both receptions and touchdowns for Pitts.

Whether it's a coincidence or cosmic humor, Kyle Pitts’ touchdown pattern has become one of the strangest running jokes in Atlanta. One more score in Week 18 would end that pattern for good and would likely help the Falcons sweep the Saints for the first time since 2016. 

As Pitts heads toward free agency after one of the best years of his career, if the Falcons were to extend him, the streak says that he is bound to find the endzone a lot more in the years ahead.