Falcons Kyle Pitts' Breakout Party Comes At Right Moment

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.