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The Atlanta Falcons are losing their running backs coach, Desmond Kitchings, to the Virginia Cavaliers.
According to Falcons’ head coach Arthur Smith, Kitchings has officially accepted the open offensive coordinator position at Virginia as of Monday, January 3, per team reporter Tori McElhaney.
It’s understandable as to why Kitchings decided to head back to the college level since he’ll have a chance to call plays now to bolster his coaching resume.
“He’s a smart coach,” Smith said via the Falcons’ official website. “He communicates well and understands how to provide value every week, coming up with ideas and getting his guys ready to go. He’ll be missed around here, but it’s one heck of an opportunity for him.”
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Kitchings’ Coaching Background
The Falcons hired Kitchings to be the running backs coach under first-year head coach Arthur Smith. He came to Atlanta after spending the 2020 season in the same role at the University of South Carolina.
Prior to joining the Gamecocks, Kitchings spent eight seasons at NC State coaching the running backs where he produced three consecutive 1,000-yard rushers (2016 to 2018).
Kitchings was an athlete himself and played wide receiver/return specialist at Furman University where he averaged 29.3 yards per kick and set a school record of four kick returns for touchdowns. In 2000, he was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs but never played a regular-season game as he bounced around from practice squad to practice squad for four years.
The Falcons rushing attack has struggled to find a groove, even with Kitchings leading the backs this season. Prior to Week 17 vs. Buffalo, the Falcons had accumulated just 1,293 yards (86.2 yards per game) on the ground, which ranked them 31st across the league, only ahead of the Houston Texans.
While the Falcons may not have found overall success in their backfield this season, Kitchings is partly responsible for turning around 30-year-old Cordarrelle Patterson’s career, which makes him a great hire by Virginia.
The Falcons Have Been Eliminated from Playoffs
In other news, the Falcons have officially been eliminated from playoff contention after falling to the Buffalo Bills, 29-15.
It looked like the Falcons had a chance to upset Buffalo when they took the lead at halftime. And then they failed to put any points on the board in the second half. Atlanta’s defense intercepted Buffalo’s QB, Josh Allen, on three consecutive possessions but couldn’t get a stop or a turnover after the half. Matt Ryan threw under 200 passing yards, while the offense finished just 1-for-7 on third-down attempts. Ryan also received his first taunting penalty of his career, which caused a lot of uproar on social media.
Falcons’ star rookie tight end Kyle Pitts, who surpassed 1,000 receiving yards, briefly exited the loss with a hamstring injury. Once he returned, you could tell that his hamstring was still bothersome but he finished the game. Atlanta has still not given an update on his injury status, but the team will need him if they want a chance at winning as they are very slim at receiving options.
For their last game of the season, the Falcons take on the New Orleans Saints, who still have a shot at a postseason run. Of course, Atlanta will want to eliminate them.
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