The Atlanta Falcons' long nightmare is finally coming to an end this week. After Cooper Rush posted a QBR in the single digits two straight games, Atlanta will be starting Michael Penix Jr. on Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers.
Nobody has more cause to be happy about the change than star tight end Kyle Pitts, who's seen a grand total of four targets
so far this season, posting one catch for 15 yards.According to Marc Raimondi at ESPN, those numbers are a mirage, and Pitts should be more productive now that the Falcons have made their much-anticipated change at quarterback.
"The verdict: Mirage. The Falcons' quarterback situation has been the worst in the NFL by a large margin. Cooper Rush followed up his league-low 2.6 QBR in Week 1
with a league-low 5.2 QBR on Sunday. Pitts is one of the players who has suffered most. He had 88 receptions last season, second in the league among tight ends. The futility won't last forever. Michael Penix Jr. (knee) is expected to start under center Thursday night at Green Bay. Pitts will be a major beneficiary."
Pitts entered the 2026 campaign coming off the best year of his career in the NFL so far, totaling 88 receptions, 928 yards and five touchdowns.
While his complete body of work has been inconsistent since he was drafted, Pitts' big 2025 season was enough to earn him a new contract with the Falcons, worth up to $53 million over the next three years.
Now that the Falcons finally have a competent quarterback, Pitts can finally go out and start earning that money.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: ESPN predicts bounce-back for Falcons star
