What I see from the Atlanta Falcons: The Kyle Pitts question isn't going away

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FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Maybe the Atlanta Falcons shouldn't have selected Kyle Pitts with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft just so they wouldn't have to constantly answer the Kyle Pitts question.

In four years in Atlanta, where there were five starting quarterbacks, three defensive coordinators and two head coaches, the only consistency was that everyone was wondering what was going on with the Falcons' starting tight end. And from what I see, the question isn't going away anytime soon.

Coach Raheem Morris got his first real impression of this on Sunday afternoon at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Falcons (2-2) had just pulled off a dramatic 26-24 win over their bitterest rival, and the third member of the media to get the microphone asked if he could get Pitts more involved in the offense. Morris seemed surprised by the question. It shouldn't have been him. Welcome to Atlanta: Where the players play and everyone always wants to know why Kyle Pitts didn't catch more passes.

Morris rambled a bit to begin his answer, then said this: “To me, man, stats are really for losers. I don’t get involved in something like that.”

But we'll get into this first: As a rookie, Pitts caught 68 passes for 1,026 yards in 17 games, becoming only the second rookie tight end in league history to reach the 1,000-yard mark. It's worth keeping this in mind as a starting point for the conversation. Matt Ryan, who will be inducted into the team's Ring of Honor on Thursday night, was the quarterback at the time. The Falcons traded Ryan the following offseason, and whether there was a direct connection or not, Pitts was never the same.

In 31 games after Ryan, which included a serious knee injury and four starting quarterbacks, Pitts has 89 catches for 1,128 yards. That's 36.4 yards per game. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, drafted one spot after Pitts, has averaged 82 receiving yards per game in his career. Former Falcons coach Arthur Smith was blamed for Pitts' declining performance over the last two years, but after four games with a new offensive system, not much has changed.

In fact, Pitts has fewer targets and catches through four games in 2024 than he did in 2023, despite being on the field for a slightly higher percentage of games. He has eight catches on 15 targets for 105 yards this season. After four games last season, he had 11 catches on 21 targets for 121 yards.

“Obviously you want to get the ball in his hands,” offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said. “He will continue to keep the ball as the offense progresses. He's doing a great job. I think the more he pays attention to detail and plays as quickly as possible, the more naturally the ball will find him.”

Pitts' routes and targets have remained consistent through four games, but his time on the field has steadily, if slowly, declined. According to TruMedia, the tight end accounted for 96 percent of the offensive snaps in Week 1. That number dropped to 72.3 percent in week 2, 67.9 percent in week 3, and 64.7 percent in week 4.

Falcons fans are still waiting for tight end Kyle Pitts (No. 8) to return to the production he had as a rookie. (Dale Zanine/Imagn Images)

Pitts ranked 80th this week in ESPN Analytics' weekly receiver scores, which give receivers an overall grade based on how often they are open, how many catches they make and how many yards they get after those catches. It was the lowest score in the league for a qualified tight end or wide receiver.

Falcons first-year quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​certainly hasn't forgotten Pitts. Just like he did in the preseason, Cousins ​​regularly talks to the tight end about what's happening on offense and why.

“It’s interesting because I really shouldn’t have done the under route throw that I threw to him,” Cousins ​​said after last week’s win over the New Orleans Saints. “I should have gone over his head to Ray-Ray (McCloud). On the third down at midfield I threw the ball to Drake (London) and in hindsight I wish I had thrown the ball over his head to Kyle as he went into a deep corner. There are some plays where I come back to the sideline and say, “Hey, Kyle, I need to coach you better there.” And there are others where I worked with him and I say, “I probably forced it.” . “It goes both ways, you just go wherever your reading takes you.”

When or if the Falcons' reads will get the ball to Pitts more often is currently unanswered. The only certainty is that the question remains.

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The other targets

Cousins' comment above: “You just always go where the reading takes you.” – doesn't just apply to Pitts. When Morris acquired and hired Robinson from the Los Angeles Rams, there was a perception that Atlanta would begin to make greater use of its most prolific players.

Through four games, the numbers have barely changed, and the main reason for that is Cousins' absolute dedication to the system. Over the course of his 13-year career, the quarterback has become known for his egalitarian approach to pass distribution – the open player receives the ball regardless of jersey number.

“Sometimes it skews the numbers one way or another, and sometimes it’s really balanced,” Cousins ​​said. “You just have to go where the piece takes you.”

In four games, Pitts, wide receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson – all top-10 draft picks – have combined for 98 offensive touches for 664 yards. In four games in 2023, they had 94 touches for 699 yards. The biggest beneficiary of the change has been London, which has nine more goals, nine more catches and 74 more yards than this time last year. Robinson's numbers are down slightly – 70 touchdowns for 359 yards this year, compared to 72 touchdowns for 452 yards in four games last year.

Jake Matthews (right) and the Falcons' offensive line have done a better job protecting quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​since the opener. (Brett Davis/Imagn Images)

A hat tip

Atlanta's pass blocking deserves a mention. Even though the numbers don't look much different from Week 1, that's the case with the bag. Cousins ​​was harassed by TJ Watt and the Steelers during the first game of the season, leading to concerns that the Falcons couldn't pass the block well enough to execute the system Zac Robinson is going for.

The Steelers sacked Cousins ​​on 7.1 percent of his dropbacks. The last three opponents have shot 4.1 percent and the quarterback's throw time has increased from 2.65 seconds in Week 1 to 2.82 seconds over the last three weeks. Not big differences, but significant.

“Yeah, I think so,” Cousins ​​said. “If I felt something (against New Orleans), it was usually because I was developing longer. I thought they did a good job. I was really happy.”

The improved performance has also weathered changes at the top, with Ryan Neuzil and Storm Norton filling in for the injured Drew Dalman and Kaleb McGary.

“There's a high standard in the room and we have that next-man-up mentality,” Norton said, “and we try not to miss a beat no matter who's in there.”

Not enough simple buttons

It's still too early to say whether this is a bad thing or not, but the Falcons aren't getting enough really big offensive plays, and the resulting grinding approach is the main reason the Falcons are lagging in offensive touchdowns are in 29th place (five) and are tied for 22nd in scoring (18.8 points per game).

According to TruMedia, Atlanta ranks ninth in the league with 53 plays of 10 or more yards. However, on plays of 20 or more yards (10), that ranking drops to 25th. Maybe that means the Falcons are about to add another level to this offense. Or maybe it just means their offense is hampered all year long because of their inability to get anything done easily.

All that's certain is that right now it looks like the Falcons are having to work very hard for every yard, and that's because they are.

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The defensive approach is boring

It's inherently boring and probably the right approach for defense in 2024. Still, it's boring.

The Falcons, under first-year defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, have decided, like almost every other team in the league, that the best way to stop NFL offenses is to take away their potential for big plays. That means a lot of two-high safety approaches, a lot of zone defense, and a lot of giving up things underneath and hoping that offenses can't get to the back of the field the hard way. The Falcons’ approach is working. According to TruMedia, they are second in the league at 8.3 percent.

According to TruMedia, Atlanta ranks 24th in the league in defensive splash plays (74). Only four turnovers were forced, good for 14th in the league. According to TruMedia, it plays zone coverage 78.6 percent of the time, more than all but three teams in the league. The Falcons blitz at the seventh-highest rate in the NFL (35.1 percent), but only put pressure on the quarterback at the 24th-highest rate (29.9 percent).

All of this translates to a defense that ranks 14th in the league in points allowed (21.3) and seventh in yards allowed per game (4.9). So it works, but it's not exactly Grits Blitz.

(Top photo: Brett Davis / Imagn Images)