Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts is off to a strong start
FLOWERY BRANCH — After Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts scored his first touchdown of the season Sunday, he emphatically spiked the football.
“Yes,” Pitts said. “I wouldn’t say get something off my chest. I was just happy to score. Just (being apart of) the offense and being able to contribute any way that I can and compete with the guys that are beside me.”
Pitts caught all five of his targets for 70 yards and a touchdown to help the Falcons beat the Washington Commanders 34-27 Sunday. He helped the team bounce back from that pitiful 30-0 showing the previous Sunday against Carolina.
Pitts and the Falcons have a bye week now before they are set to host the Buffalo Bills (4-0) on “Monday Night Football” on Oct. 13 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Pitts is off to a strong start this season. He’s caught 20 of 24 targets for 205 yards and a touchdown. He’s picked up 13 third downs.
He ranks fifth in the NFL in receiving yards for tight ends, behind Indianapolis’ Tyler Warren (263 yards), Arizona’s Trey McBride (234), Las Vegas’ Brock Bowers (225) and Green Bay’s Tucker Kraft (225).
Pitts is in his fifth season after becoming the highest drafted tight end ever. He was taken fourth overall by the Falcons in the 2020 NFL draft.
“Just taking it up a notch each year,” Pitts said. “Trying to get better each year. Hone in on the details for sure and just playing as fast as I can.”
Pitts went to the Pro Bowl as a rookie after amassing 68 catches for 1,026 yards and a touchdown. But he’s had trouble duplicating that production.
“Just everywhere, on the field, off the field, run game, pass game, just out there thinking,” Pitts said. “Am I seeing things on the field? Execute.”
Pitts said he’s not trying to prove anything to his critics.
“Not to anybody else, more than myself,” he said. “It’s just my fifth year here. We got a quarterback, got a fresh start (with the) offense and just ready to (play).”
He’s just trying to prove things to himself and “take it up from last year,” Pitts said. “We didn’t really play the year that I wanted to last year. I just wanted to flush it and come back this year way better.”
The Falcons picked up Pitts’ fifth-year option, but there has not been a long-term deal announced. Pitts could become a free agent after the season.
“I think that’s something at the end of the year that I maybe think about,” Pitts said when asked about his contract situation. “Just playing games. I want to contribute as much as I can. Score as many touchdowns, keep catching the ball and moving the ball forward.”
In addition to the 7-yard touchdown catch that put the Falcons ahead 24-13 against the Commanders, Pitts had a big 22-yard catch on third-and-6 to keep the drive alive in the fourth quarter. The Falcons added a field goal to make it a two-score game with under 2 minutes to play.
“They called my play,” Pitts said. “I got the coverage and the leverage I wanted against (Quan Martin). I just executed and made sure I didn’t let that holding stop me from catching the ball.”
Pitts fought through Martin holding him. The Falcons took the 22 yards and declined the penalty.
Falcons tight ends coach Kevin Koger has been imploring Pitts to play fast. So far that’s working out.
“He has been extremely impressive,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “I mean, it’s kind of what we saw in the offseason. Nobody really wanted to believe it. I was kind of hesitant to even talk about it because you just wanted to let him go do it, right?”
With wide receiver Darnell Mooney off to a slow start because of injuries, the Falcons need Pitts to continue to produce.
“It is not just him catching the football,” Morris said. “It was him blocking. Watching him lead up on a couple plays (against Washington) and block some of our runs, work combinations with tackles and do some of the different things that he was able to do.”
After the Carolina debacle, the Falcons jumped to a 10-0 lead on the Commanders.
“It was great,” Pitts said of the start. “We always want to put as many points on the board as we can. Just bounce back from last week when we didn’t score any points.”
Pitts said he believes the offense made major strides against Washington.
“We just locked in during the week on the details and made sure that we didn’t make the same (mistakes) from last week,” he said.
Moving forward, the Falcons want to establish a consistent level of play.
“Definitely, that’s what the NFL is about,” Pitts said. “Got to be consistent. And if you’re doing that, then we should be putting good wins on the board.”
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
