Have a night, Kyle Pitts.
The Atlanta Falcons’ fifth-year tight end had the kind of game on ‘Thursday Night Football’ that his team hoped would be a lot more common when it made him the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Pitts set new career-high numbers in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns against the Buccaneers and accomplished something no tight end has since 1996.
According to NFL senior researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno, Pitts is the first tight end to have 150-plus yards and 3-plus touchdowns in a game since Shannon Sharpe did it in Week 6 of that 1996 season.
The Falcons’ tight end finished with 13 more yards on two fewer catches than Sharpe did in his big game 29 years ago.
In the absence of Drake London, who missed his fourth straight game with a PCL sprain, Pitts stepped up in a massive way. Here’s a closer look at his numbers during his career night against the Bucs in Week 15:
Kyle Pitts stats
Pitts is having the best game of his career in the Week 15 edition of ‘Thursday Night Football.’
With just over three minutes to play, here’s how his stats against the Buccaneers look so far:
- Targets: 12
- Receptions: 11
- Receiving yards: 166
- Yards per reception: 15.1
- Touchdowns: 3
Pitts had one touchdown all season coming into tonight’s game. He quadrupled that season total in one evening against the Bucs in Week 15.