A Closer Look: Kyle Pitts already making a major impact on the Falcons offense - The Athletic

TAMPA, Fla. — Eight minutes, 43 seconds left in the second quarter. Third-and-7 at the Atlanta 14-yard line. The Falcons coming off a three-play, Keystone Kops sequence that included two timeouts and a false-start penalty.

Tight end-turned-TV announcer Greg Olsen tells Fox’s viewing audience that this is the moment when Atlanta’s best players have to make a play. Cue Kyle Pitts. The Falcons rookie tight end makes a one-handed grab in tight coverage on a ball thrown behind him and takes a slant route 24 yards.

“Those are the plays they drafted him to make,” Olsen told The Athletic on Monday. “Not all catches are the same. Some catches have more meaning than others. When you catch them. How you catch them, so it was good to see him make some impactful plays. He wasn’t that open (on that play), and when he’s in the slot like that, the ball gets on you quick. For him to be able to just reach his right hand back and kind of snag that was critical.”

After an uneventful NFL debut, Pitts led the Falcons with 73 receiving yards on five catches in Sunday’s 48-25 loss to Tampa Bay.

“It’s definitely a confidence booster for me,” Pitts said. “It gets me going knowing I can make plays against the best of the best.”

A closer look reveals that Pitts’ impact is extending beyond just his own numbers.

The Falcons are averaging 5.3 yards per play with Pitts on the field and 2.61 with him off the field, according to TruMedia. Their longest completion without him in the formation is 8 yards. They have 26 plays of 9 or more yards with Pitts on the field.

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