by For years, Atlanta Falcons fans—and fantasy football managers everywhere—have screamed the same three words at their televisions: “Unleash Kyle Pitts.”
Last night on Thursday Night Football, the Falcons didn’t just unleash him. They built the entire offense around him, and the result was one of the greatest tight end performances in NFL history.
In a thrilling 29–28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pitts was virtually unstoppable. With star wideout Drake London sidelined due to a knee injury, the pressure was on the fourth-year tight end to carry the load. He didn’t just step up; he put the team on his back.
History Made in Atlanta
When the dust settled, Pitts’ stat line looked like something out of a video game:
- 11 Receptions
- 166 Receiving Yards
- 3 Touchdowns
To put that into perspective, Pitts became the first tight end since Shannon Sharpe in 1996 to record at least 150 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns in a single game. It was the kind of “Unicorn” performance scouts promised when he was drafted 4th overall—a blend of size, speed, and catch radius that Tampa Bay simply had no answer for.
The Highlights: A Masterclass in Domination
From the opening whistle, the connection between Kirk Cousins and Pitts was electric. Pitts opened the scoring with an 8-yard strike to tie the game, followed quickly by a second touchdown to give Atlanta an early lead.
But it was the fourth quarter where legends are made.
Trailing 28–14 and looking dead in the water, Cousins turned to his safety valve. Pitts sparked the rally with a highlight-reel 35-yard catch—attempting a massive hurdle over a defender that nearly broke the internet—before capping the drive with an acrobatic, leaping 7-yard touchdown catch to cut the deficit to two.
The Finish
Pitts wasn’t done. On the final drive, he hauled in a critical 14-yard reception in traffic, moving the chains and setting the stage for Zane Gonzalez’s walk-off field goal.
The Verdict
While the Falcons move to 5–9, this win was about more than just standings; it was a spoiler game that severely damaged the Bucs’ playoff hopes. But arguably more important, it was a “proof of concept” game.
Last night proved that when fed the volume of a true WR1, Kyle Pitts is exactly who we thought he was: a generational talent capable of taking over a game.
