Kyle Pitts snags first of many 100-yard days, touchdowns against Jets

Great players make challenging things look routine. How many times did we watch Julio Jones make an absurdly difficult catch in a way that made it clear he was operating on a different plane of existence than everyone else on the field? One of the great pleasures of being a fan is having a guy like that on your team, so that even on tough days you can marvel at something special happening on the field.

Maybe it’s too early to say that Kyle Pitts is one of those guys, but to hell with it, I’m going to say it. Pitts arrived in London, putting up the first of what will likely be many 100-yard games and touchdowns against the Jets and showing off his sticky hands, speed and tremendous ability. It was, as it always is, a joy to watch someone so good make it look so easy.

There was this touchdown grab, which Pitts said he wasn’t sure he’d get because the sun was in his eyes.

There was this casual one-handed grab.

And there was this grab downfield with defenders closing in.

It all added up to nine catches for 119 yards and a touchdown, the single most productive day of the year for any Falcons receiving option and the new high water mark for Pitts’ young career. He’s now up to 308 yards through five games and is on track to get close to or blow by Jeremy Shockey for the modern rookie tight end yardage record despite his slow start. If he has more games like this he’ll get there in record time.

This is a long-winded way of saying it was a great effort for Pitts in a strong game from Matt Ryan, and the “breakout game” everyone was hoping for heading into this matchup. The Falcons have, for all their misery and misfortune, been fortunate enough to have some true greats on this team over the past decade. May Kyle Pitts be the latest and maybe even greatest.