Falcons Rookie Drake London Played Key Role in Kyle Pitts' Breakout, Says QB
Through three games, the Atlanta Falcons are a top-10 scoring offense in the NFL.
While running back Cordarrelle Patterson has led the way, tight end Kyle Pitts and wide receiver Drake London need to play key roles in order to sustain that success.
In the team's first two games, Pitts struggled mightily to get things going. But last week against the Seattle Seahawks, last year's 4th overall pick caught five passes for 87 yards. Quarterback Marcus Mariota believes that Pitts' success is directly related to London's
"I think it comes down to the success of Drake," Mariota said. "When you have a guy outside that's playing well, it kind of opens up things inside, and Kyle really took advantage of that and made some plays for us."
As someone who nearly broke the record for receiving yards by a rookie tight end, Pitts entered the season with a giant target on his back. Teams have been forced to game plan for him, but with London's back-to-back games with a touchdown, teams will also have to give him attention, which will take away double teams for Pitts.
Over the course of the season, if Pitts and London can continue to play their games off of one another, the Falcons will continue to be dynamic on offense and force teams to beat them in shootouts.
The Falcons play the Cleveland Browns Sunday at 1 p.m. in Atlanta.
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