Head coach Arthur Smith said earlier in the week that when Kyle Pitts has a breakout game, the Falcons will win. Through the first two games, the star tight end finished with 38 total receiving yards, and against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, he led Falcons pass catchers with 87 yards, averaging 17.4 per catch.
Atlanta earned their first win of the season defeating the Seahawks 27-23 at Lumen Field. Quarterback Marcus Mariota targeted Pitts eight times throughout the game, connecting with him on five catches. When Pitts gets going, his impact affects the entire offense, which was clear on Sunday.
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"I mean, we're just trying to win as a team," Pitts said. "I'm not selfish. I don't think I always need the ball but, as a playmaker, we're all competitors. We all want to score so at the end of the day it's a team game and we want to win and if the ball comes my way, I'll do the best that I can to do with it."
Pitts became a nightmare for the Seahawks' secondary early in the first quarter after hauling in a 14-yard catch on the Falcons third play of the game and following up three plays later for a 21-yard gainer that set up Atlanta's first touchdown drive.
His longest reception came late in the first quarter when Mariota found Pitts deep right for 28-yards down the sideline. To reiterate what happened last season, this is essentially how Pitts started his rookie year.
When asked what changed today, Pitts laughed a bit.
"The ball finally found me," he said. "I feel like we've been doing a good job all week just preparing and trying to expose some of their defensive weaknesses and matchups."
The second-year vet played a vital role in Atlanta's offensive success on Sunday. The Falcons capitalized in red-zone situations, which was a struggle through the first two games and both the run and pass game were affective through all four quarters.
"All week, execution was the one thing that we kind of harped on," Pitts said. "Everybody doing their job 1-to-11. Everybody was doing their job and we were pretty good."
The team spent their week practicing in Seattle leading up to the matchup at Lumen Field, which was the first time since 2017 Atlanta has played in the Pacific Northwest. On Saturday night, the team gathered for fellowship in preparation for Sunday's victory. Things weren't perfect but the Falcons played a complete game on Sunday which resulted in a big road win for the franchise.
"It kind of just put it in perspective that we're all in this together," Pitts said. "Things that were said I would say just brought us even closer. This week in camaraderie has brought us closer to help us get this win."
