Kyle Pitts finally arrives as Falcons win in London over Jets

Falcons fans had been awaiting the Kyle Pitts breakout game and apparently all the rookie tight end needed was to get off of U.S. soil. 

Expectations were always going to be high for Atlanta Falcons rookie tight end Kyle Pitts after the franchise used the fourth-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to select him, making him the first non-quarterback to come off the board. But as the Falcons flew across the pond to London for a game against the Jets, the former Florida Gator hadn’t delivered big results.

Prior to Week 5, Pitts had 15 receptions for just 189 yards and no touchdowns over the first four games of his NFL career. With Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage out on Sunday in London, though, it was the tight end’s time to shine.

Pitts was a force that the Jets couldn’t handle as he led the Falcons with nine receptions, 119 receiving yards and his first career touchdown on the day. Even better, Atlanta rode the wave from the rookie to a 27-20 win over the Jets to move to 2-3 on the season.

Kyle Pitts must be a bigger part of the Falcons offense moving forward.

With Ridley and Gage out, it always figured that Kyle Pitts was going to be in line for a ton of targets. But it speaks to the talent of the rookie that the New York defense was surely well aware of that as well and could’ve put a ton of focus into stopping him. Yet, that didn’t stop the tight end from making one play after another and breaking the game open.

But while veteran Cordarrelle Patterson has been a shockingly good weapon for the Falcons, Pitts needs to get a renewed focus placed on him by head coach Arthur Smith in this offense. If he’s able to produce like this when the defense is focused on him, imagine his upside and what he brings when the opposition also has to respect Ridley and even someone like Gage.

Pitts is a matchup nightmare every time he takes the field with his size, speed, athleticism combination that linebackers nor cornerbacks can contend with. Yet, this offense has endured some major issues in trying to get off the ground this season. And perhaps Pitts’ breakout performance can show Smith and the staff the key to unlocking the offense’s potential.