Falcons Want 'More Production' from Kyle Pitts After Zero Catches vs. Chargers

The Atlanta Falcons feel tight end Kyle Pitts has done "a really good job" this season.

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts has caught one or fewer passes in three of his last four games. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts seemingly discovered his once-lost form. Now, the search continues.

Pitts, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has endured a career full of highs and lows. He recorded the second-most receiving yards by a rookie tight end in league history with 1,026 yards but totaled only 1,023 yards over the two years that followed.

Amidst injury issues and quarterback struggles, Pitts battled factors out of his control. Entering this season, the stars appeared to be aligned -- Pitts was fully healthy and had the benefit of catching passes from four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins.

It showed in October.

Pitts enjoyed his most productive month in three years, catching 21 passes for 314 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the month-ending victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 27.

In the four games since, he's caught one or fewer passes three times -- capped by his second reception-less game of the season in Sunday's 17-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

And Falcons head coach Raheem Morris wants better moving forward.

"I would like to see Kyle get more production," Morris said postgame Sunday. "I would like to see him have more opportunities. Whether it's us getting it to him or him doing a better job, we'll figure those things out as we go."

Apart from his brilliant October, Pitts has tallied only 14 catches for 180 yards and one touchdown in Atlanta's eight other games. Since the calendar turned to November, he's hauled in six passes for 75 yards on only 12 targets.

The bulk of his production came Nov. 10 against the New Orleans Saints, when he made four receptions for 55 yards.

Yet in the two games since, Pitts has a combined one catch for nine yards on five targets. Each of his two career shutouts have come this season, and after Sunday's loss to Los Angeles, Morris attributed Pitts's lack of production to the multitude of mouths the Falcons have to feed.

"We got so many people that we’ve got to get the ball to," Morris said. "Sometimes those days happen."

Taken collectively, Pitts is having his best season since 2021. His 41.2 receiving yards per game is second-most in his career, as is his 14.1 yards per reception. He's matched a career high with three touchdowns and has five more games to add to his tally.

Among tight ends league-wide, Pitts ranks No. 20 in catches (35), No. 9 in receiving yards (494) and tied for 12th in touchdowns. He's also top 10 in yards per catch and receptions of 20-plus yards (six).

"He's done a really good job all season based on what his total production is for what's going on in the big picture," Morris said. "He has a lot of receptions. Compare him to his peers, he's done such a good job."

The Falcons' offense has scored only one touchdown in its last nine quarters. Atlanta has lost three consecutive games. Historically, getting Pitts the ball has been a winning formula -- the Falcons are 9-2 when Pitts gets 70 or more receiving yards.

Atlanta's offensive issues stem from redzone execution, turnovers and finishing drives. Involving Pitts may not directly fix all three -- but it could very well help the Falcons snap their three-game skid.