Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota. Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Mariota: 'It's on me' to get Kyle Pitts involved

By Eric Smithling | Last updated 10/19/22

Perhaps the only thing more surprising than the Atlanta Falcons' 3-3 start is how much of a non-factor tight end Kyle Pitts has been in the team's better-than-expected record.

People who drafted Pitts in fantasy football are painfully aware of this by now, but Pitts' sophomore season has looked nothing like his Pro Bowl rookie campaign. A season ago, quarterback Matt Ryan targeted Pitts 110 times, and the tight end finished with 68 catches for 1,026 yards.

With Ryan out and Marcus Mariota in, Pitts' numbers across the board are in decline. His targets per game (6.5), receptions per game (2.6) and yards per game (33.8) are all significantly below what he averaged a season ago, per Pro Football Reference.

A quote from Marcus Mariota on Kyle Pitts that I liked: "Kyle is going to be open even if he is somewhat covered. You just gotta get him the ball. I think he does a great job - no matter what - of winning these 50/50 contested catches. It's on me to give him more opportunities."
— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) October 19, 2022

Mariota told reporters, "it's on me to give him more opportunities," per Tori McElhaney.

The Falcons appeared to have turned this corner in Week 3 when Pitts had five receptions for 87 yards. But he had four receptions for 44 yards over his next two games, with the tight end missing the team's 21-15 loss to Tampa Bay in Week 5 due to a hamstring injury. As a positive, Pitts did catch his first touchdown of the season in the Falcons' surprising Week 6 victory over San Francisco.

KYLE PITTS TD

(via @AtlantaFalcons) pic.twitter.com/rdMdXaV2fD
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 16, 2022

This Sunday, the Falcons travel to the Cincinnati Bengals (3-3). Per data from ESPN, tight ends have been targeted eight times per game against the Bengals, with 5.8 receptions for an average of 65 yards. Cincinnati, for its part, has done a good job keeping tight ends out of the end zone, giving up just one touchdown.

Mariota said what Pitts and fantasy football players have been wanting to hear all season. Now it's up to him to put his words into action.

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