The Atlanta Falcons are throwing the ball to their tight ends early on Sunday.
It’s the NFL-dubbed National Tight Ends Day, after all.
They just aren’t throwing it to their No. 1 tight end, Kyle Pitts.
Yet again, Pitts is staging one of those Sunday disappearing acts. Even on this manufactured holiday for Pitts’ position group, he’s been quite quiet.
Is Kyle Pitts Playing Today?
Yep, Pitts is active and healthy and on the field on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.
He just hasn’t gotten the ball thrown his way through the first 21 minutes of the game.
The Falcons had attempted eight passes up to that point and actually completed seven of them.
Pitts didn’t have a single target.
Why Falcons Throwing to Hooper, Muse, Woerner
The Falcons have had a wide variety of tight end usage all season.
Pitts is the leading receiver among the group, but Atlanta usually gets four TEs onto the field every week.
Three of them had catches out of Penix’s first eight passes on Sunday.
Austin Hooper had a 10-yard catch.
Charlie Woerner had a 9-yard catch.
And Nick Muse caught a 1-yard touchdown.
The Muse touchdown might’ve been particularly frustrating for anyone who has Pitts in fantasy football, but it wasn’t a Pitts kind of play. He wasn’t even on the field. The Falcons lined up in a heavy run formation with its best blockers, but a hard play action had Muse standing in the end zone wide open for a pass from Penix.
The tough part with Pitts specifically relative to some other talented players — there’s no guarantee that he gets rolling after this fast start from the Falcons’ other tight ends. He’s been known to have these incredibly quiet days at the office.
Pitts could certainly make a key, athletic catch soon enough — but it hasn’t happened yet, and it very well might not happen anytime soon. Some days, Pitts just doesn’t do anything.
Is Kyle Pitts Playing Today? Why Falcons Throwing to TEs Hooper, Muse, Woerner