The Atlanta Falcons were without both of their top receivers in Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage in Week 5’s trip to London, which gave tight end Kyle Pitts a chance to shine against the New York Jets.
And he did.
The Falcons’ fourth-overall pick finished the day with 119 receiving yards and his first NFL career touchdown in the team’s 27-20 victory across the pond on October 10.
Prior to his career-day, fans were on edge about Pitts as he was “nowhere to be found” during the first few weeks of the season. But his teammates had zero doubts.
“We all know what Kyle can do,” running back Cordarrelle Patterson said after the win. “Like coach always say, he expects stuff like that from Kyle. We do too. He was the fourth overall pick. He got every asset. He got good speed, hands, routes.
“Stuff like that happen to Kyle, we want it to happen every week. We just proud of the guy. He’s been coming each and every week. He’s doing everything he can. There’s a lot on his plate, but it comes with the territory.
“We always got his back. We support him. We just hope he continues to do that.”
Pitts wasn’t alone carrying the team as Patterson had 114 total yards from scrimmage on 14 carries and seven catches and it didn’t go unnoticed by head coach Arthur Smith.
“Kyle stepped up, him and Patterson both,” Smith said in the post-game presser. “Like I said, we’ll continue to evolve offensively. It was good. He (Pitts) won one-on-one matchups, he made some big-time plays for us. Like I said, it’s a long game for us. Everybody wants the hot pick after week one. You have to see continual improvement. That’s why Kyle is here. He’ll continue to improve.”
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Matt Ryan on Pitts: ‘I’m Proud of Him’
There was a lot of hype around and pressure on Pitts heading into the season and when he didn’t live up to expectations right away, people talked. But according to NFL veteran Matt Ryan, he’s already learned how to block out the noise.
“I just told him right before I came in here I’m proud of him,” Ryan said after the game. “I think there’s going to be a lot of those in the future for him. He’s done a great job of focusing on growth and development day in and day out, just trying to get better.
“There’s a lot of noise both positive and negative that can distract you from that. He’s been as good of a young guy of being able to just focus in on working hard every day and getting better, and I think he’s done that for the five games we’ve had. I expect him to continue that. I think it’s showing that he is really a talented player and can be a great player in this league.”
The Falcons nearly did what they do best and blew a lead, but thanks to a 39-yard connection to Pitts which eventually set Mike Davis up for a touchdown run, the Falcons stayed ahead.
Ryan Had Himself a Day As Well
It was also a good day for Matty Ice, who became the seventh quarterback in NFL history to reach 5,000 career completions. He also surpassed former New York Giants two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning at No. 8 in all-time passing yards.
“I’m proud of that,” he said. “I’ve completed the ball to a lot of great players in those five thousand completions. I certainly wouldn’t still be in this position if I wasn’t surrounded by an incredible supporting cast.
“I’m very proud to still be doing it and feel like I’m doing it at a high level. I certainly have had a lot of help along the way, so I’m appreciative of that.
“It’s one of those things, you don’t think about it as a player. You focus every week on trying to get yourself ready to play the best you possibly can that week. I think having tried to stay in that mindset for the duration of my career has allowed me to kind of stack some of those accomplishments.”
While reaching new benchmarks is always exciting, that’s not Ryan’s main goal.
“I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, but I’m focused on trying to help this team win as we move forward.”
Ryan threw for 342 yards for two touchdowns and zero interceptions in the U.K.
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Falcons’ Kyle Pitts Earns High Praise From Cordarrelle Patterson, Matt Ryan