Atlanta, GA
Falcons Want ‘More Production’ from Kyle Pitts After Zero Catches vs. Chargers
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts seemingly discovered his once-lost form. Now, the search continues.
Pitts, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has endured a career full of highs and lows. He recorded the second-most receiving yards by a rookie tight end in league history with 1,026 yards but totaled only 1,023 yards over the two years that followed.
Amidst injury issues and quarterback struggles, Pitts battled factors out of his control. Entering this season, the stars appeared to be aligned — Pitts was fully healthy and had the benefit of catching passes from four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins.
It showed in October.
Pitts enjoyed his most productive month in three years, catching 21 passes for 314 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the month-ending victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 27.
In the four games since, he’s caught one or fewer passes three times — capped by his second reception-less game of the season in Sunday’s 17-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
And Falcons head coach Raheem Morris wants better moving forward.
“I would like to see Kyle get more production,” Morris said postgame Sunday. “I would like to see him have more opportunities. Whether it’s us getting it to him or him doing a better job, we’ll figure those things out as we go.”
Apart from his brilliant October, Pitts has tallied only 14 catches for 180 yards and one touchdown in Atlanta’s eight other games. Since the calendar turned to November, he’s hauled in six passes for 75 yards on only 12 targets.
The bulk of his production came Nov. 10 against the New Orleans Saints, when he made four receptions for 55 yards.
Yet in the two games since, Pitts has a combined one catch for nine yards on five targets. Each of his two career shutouts have come this season, and after Sunday’s loss to Los Angeles, Morris attributed Pitts’s lack of production to the multitude of mouths the Falcons have to feed.
“We got so many people that we’ve got to get the ball to,” Morris said. “Sometimes those days happen.”
Taken collectively, Pitts is having his best season since 2021. His 41.2 receiving yards per game is second-most in his career, as is his 14.1 yards per reception. He’s matched a career high with three touchdowns and has five more games to add to his tally.
Among tight ends league-wide, Pitts ranks No. 20 in catches (35), No. 9 in receiving yards (494) and tied for 12th in touchdowns. He’s also top 10 in yards per catch and receptions of 20-plus yards (six).
“He’s done a really good job all season based on what his total production is for what’s going on in the big picture,” Morris said. “He has a lot of receptions. Compare him to his peers, he’s done such a good job.”
The Falcons’ offense has scored only one touchdown in its last nine quarters. Atlanta has lost three consecutive games. Historically, getting Pitts the ball has been a winning formula — the Falcons are 9-2 when Pitts gets 70 or more receiving yards.
Atlanta’s offensive issues stem from redzone execution, turnovers and finishing drives. Involving Pitts may not directly fix all three — but it could very well help the Falcons snap their three-game skid.
Atlanta, GA
Philadelphia Phillies lose fifth straight game to end homestand, swept by Atlanta Braves
Michael Harris II homered and had three hits as the streaking Atlanta Braves defeated the slumping Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 on Sunday night to complete a three-game sweep of their NL East rivals.
Ozzie Albies hit an RBI double and Austin Riley also drove in a run for the Braves, who have won five in a row and nine of 11. It was Atlanta’s first series sweep of at least three games at Philadelphia in 10 years.
Kyle Schwarber went deep for the Phillies, who have lost five straight and 10 of 13. They were outscored 56-33 on a 2-7 homestand against the Diamondbacks, Cubs and Braves, leaving Philadelphia 6 1/2 games behind first-place Atlanta in the division standings.
Raisel Iglesias escaped trouble in the ninth inning for his fifth save. Philadelphia put runners on first and second with one out, but Trea Turner struck out and Schwarber lined out to right field on an excellent running catch by Ronald Acuña Jr.
Tyler Kinley (3-0) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win.
Schwarber’s two-run shot in the first gave Philadelphia a 2-0 lead.
Harris homered leading off the third before the Braves went ahead in the fifth with three runs against rookie starter Andrew Painter (1-1) and lefty reliever Tim Mayza.
Painter was lifted after he opened the inning by allowing singles to Harris and Acuña. Mayza loaded the bases with a walk, and the Braves tied the game on Matt Olson’s groundout. Riley’s dribbler to third went for an RBI infield single, and Albies’ double to the left-field wall made it 4-2.
Riley saved at least one run while ending a Philadelphia threat in the bottom of the fifth with a stellar defensive play at third base.
Braves starter Grant Holmes allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings.
On a chilly night, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto sat out after leaving Saturday’s game with lower back tightness.
Up next
Braves: Begin a four-game series Monday night at Washington. RHP Bryce Elder (2-1, 0.77 ERA) opposes Nationals RHP Jake Irvin (1-2, 6.16).
Phillies: Open seven-game trip Monday night with the first of four games against the Cubs. RHP Aaron Nola (1-4, 4.03 ERA) faces Chicago RHP Colin Rea (2-0, 3.63).
Atlanta Hawks (46-36, sixth in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Monday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Knicks -5.5; over/under is 216.5
EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Knicks lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks host the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference first round with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Knicks won the last matchup 113-102 on Saturday, led by 28 points from Jalen Brunson. CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 26.
The Knicks are 35-17 in Eastern Conference games. New York has a 9-4 record in one-possession games.
The Hawks are 27-25 in Eastern Conference play. Atlanta is third in the league scoring 18.1 fast break points per game. McCollum leads the Hawks averaging 5.0.
The Knicks are shooting 47.8% from the field this season, 0.4 percentage points higher than the 47.4% the Hawks allow to opponents. The Hawks are shooting 47.4% from the field, 1.4% higher than the 46.0% the Knicks’ opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Knicks. Brunson is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.
Dyson Daniels is scoring 11.9 points per game and averaging 6.8 rebounds for the Hawks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is averaging 21.3 points and 2.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 6-4, averaging 110.4 points, 40.7 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 8.4 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.9 points per game.
Hawks: 5-5, averaging 117.2 points, 43.5 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 8.4 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.0 points.
INJURIES: Knicks: Tyler Kolek: day to day (oblique), Mitchell Robinson: day to day (ankle), Karl-Anthony Towns: day to day (elbow).
Hawks: Jock Landale: out (ankle).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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