Why draft a tight end in the first round? Need another reason.
No, the Atlanta Falcons are not on the "rise up" as the slogan should suggest. The defense still allowed far too many mistakes. Matt Ryan's costly interception could have led to positive points for the Miami Dolphins in the third quarter.
His fumble allowed the Dolphins to take the lead.
Somehow, Atlanta didn't panic. The Unicorn who feels positionless at times came to play. In the end, Kyle Pitts' performance allowed Younghoe Koo to trot out with ease for 36-yard field goal, thus giving the Falcons the 30-28 win.
Koo came in as the closer. Pitts was the set-up man.
Atlanta's offense stalled on several drives. Pitts kick-started them back into gear on a career day against the Dolphins' defense. He tallied seven total catches for 163 yards, good for an average of 23.3 yards a catch.
His shortest reception was an 11-yarder in the third quarter. His longest was a 39-yard play just before halftime to set up a field goal from Koo.
It didn't matter where Ryan was looking. Pitts was the safety blanket across the board. Each catch ended in a first down. Some led to scoring drives, others were just big gains that cushioned his stat line.
It doesn't matter how one describes it. It's success Atlanta fans have been hoping for since it was announced that Julio Jones' days with the Dirty Birds were over.
Three catches led to two field goals — two coming for gains over 20 yards on the final drives. In more ways than one, Pitts looked Julio-esque.
The confidence. The composure. The maturity to understand what was at hand? Chalk that up as well.
Wide receiver Calvin Ridley finished with four catches for 26 yards and a five yard touchdowns. Russell Gage tallied another four for 67 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown reception to begin the third quarter and extend Atlanta's lead by 13.
Both are playmakers. Are either the No. 1 target? Ask Pitts and he'll politely disagree.
Atlanta has much work to do should they hope to contend for the NFC playoffs. A late touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa gave Miami a one-point lead. Miami tallied over 400 yards of offense and averaged nearly six yards a play.
Against more complete teams, comebacks will be hard to complete. However, Atlanta is looking towards the future. There's pieces for a quick turnaround, and perhaps even a postseason run sooner than expected.
Head coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot took the "best player available" approach when on the clock at No. 4 last April. A tight end that high?
No. A playmaker. Find No. 8 and watch it all come to fruition.
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