Getty Kyle Pitts #8 of the Atlanta Falcons catches a pass during the second quarter in the game against the Miami Dolphins.
From an eye-popping one-hand grab to setting a new franchise record, Atlanta Falcons rookie tight end Kyle Pitts had himself a day against the Miami Dolphins.
Pitts finished the day with 163 receiving yards on 7 catches, which broke the Falcons’ franchise record for a tight end in a single game. He also became the first tight end since 1970 to have back-to-back 100-yard games.
But that’s not all––Pitts has racked up a total of 471 yards through the first six games of the season which is the most by any NFL tight end in the last 50 years.
Kyle Pitts had 163 yards today, breaking the Falcons franchise record for a TE.
He has 471 yards in his first 6 games, the most by any TE in the last 50 years.
The Falcons’ No. 4 overall pick also played a key role in setting up Younghoe Koo’s game-winning field goal that led to an end result 30-28 victory over the Dolphins.
Check out the 28-yard sideline route that ultimately led to Koo’s buzzer kick:
Kyle Pitts is a BAAAAAD man!
📺: FOX
Prior to that, Pitts made a viral one-handed catch which helped put that Falcons in the lead heading into halftime.
KYLE PITTS WITH ONE HAND. #NationalTightEndsDay
📺: #ATLvsMIA on FOX
📱: NFL app
What did Pitts think of his catch? Well, he had no idea he caught it for a split second.
“I feel like the ball just fell in my hand,” Pitts said after the game via D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I didn’t know I caught it at first, so it was pretty exciting.”
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Matt Ryan on Pitts: ‘There’s No Blink in His Game’
Pitts wasn’t the only Falcons player to stand out against Miami.
Matt Ryan checked off his 40th game-winning drive and ended up tieing with John Elway for the seventh-most in NFL history. Ryan finished the day passing for 336 yards, 3 touchdowns with one interception.
Ryan was impressed with the Dolphins’ defense, but also how the Falcons’ offense responded––especially Pitts.
“He’s done a great job and he’s focused on just getting better week in and week out and he’s done that and I’m proud of him,” Ryan said in the post-game press conference. “The way he prepares during the week is getting better. I think he’s getting comfortable with that and it’s showing in the way that he’s performing. I give him a lot of credit. There’s no blink in his game.
“When the game is on the line or it’s an important situation, he just goes out there and executes the same way he does every other snap.”
Miami played a lot of man-to-man coverage which gave Ryan plenty of chances to connect with Pitts. Prior to Week 6, opposing defenses had been double-teaming Pitts and sometimes even triple. Expect that to be the case moving forward…
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