The Atlanta Falcons made tight end involvement a central theme of their game plan against the San Francisco 49ers, coinciding with the NFL’s promotional National Tight Ends Day. However, starting tight end Kyle Pitts found himself on the outside looking in during the opening stanzas of the matchup.
Pitts was active, healthy, and on the field for the contest at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, yet he did not receive a single target through the first 21 minutes of play. While quarterback Michael Penix completed seven of his first eight pass attempts, none of those early looks went in the direction of the team’s leading receiver at the position.
Instead, the Falcons spread the ball across their broader tight end rotation, which regularly features four players on the field each week. Out of Penix’s initial eight throws, three different reserve tight ends recorded receptions.
Austin Hooper contributed a 10-yard catch, Charlie Woerner added a 9-yard reception, and Nick Muse hauled in a 1-yard touchdown pass. The scoring play to Muse came during a heavy run formation designed for blocking rather than receiving, utilizing a hard play-action fake that left Muse wide open in the end zone.
For fantasy football managers and observers tracking Pitts, the early-game drought fit a familiar pattern. Despite his athleticism and status as the focal point of the position group, Pitts has experienced multiple quiet outings where offensive distribution leaves him without meaningful statistical production.
Whether the veteran pass-catcher would break through later in the contest remained uncertain as the game progressed, given his history of volatile target shares within the Falcons’ offense.
