Despite an offseason littered with high vibes and even higher expectations, Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts fell victim to an all-too-familiar scene over the first month of the season.
After four games, Pitts had only eight receptions for 105 yards and one touchdown. He was shutout in a Week 4 victory over the New Orleans Saints, a game followed by Falcons coach Raheem Morris proclaiming "stats are for losers."
But since the calendar flipped to October, Pitts has seen his numbers skyrocket.
The 24-year-old caught seven passes for 88 yards in an overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 3. He followed with a three-catch, 70-yard performance Oct. 13 against the Carolina Panthers.
The Falcons Podcast: WATCH | Spotify | Apple Pods
Pitts's strong run continued with a season-high nine targets in Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He turned the additional opportunities into seven receptions for 65 yards.
Over the past three contests, Pitts has logged 17 receptions for 223 yards. It's the first time since Weeks 14-16 of his rookie year in 2021 he's caught at least 15 passes in a three-game stretch. Extrapolated across an entire-17-game season, those numbers would translate to 96 receptions for 1,263 yards.
Yet Morris said the Falcons want more from Pitts.
"It's such a result-driven business, but it's hard to say that anybody is where we want to be right now," Morris said Monday. "I think he had a little bit more success in the last couple of weeks. I think he still has to continue to get better with the growth mindset of what we need to get better at and what he needs to do better in order for that to be even bigger.
"In order for us to have more success as an offense, as a team, in general."
Morris added every team wants to be like the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, but the Falcons like the position they're in, as they can still accomplish every goal they set out to reach.
Now, Morris wants Atlanta to learn from its loss to Seattle, during which he feels the team came out flat and lacked the energy needed to win the game. Morris said it's important the Falcons take the experience and grow, something Pitts has done on an individual level this season.
And while Atlanta feels Pitts still has plenty of growing to do, Morris is happy with his recent progress.
"With Kyle, it's ... the detail in every play we go out there and we do," Morris said. "I love he's given us a serious uptick in blocking -- he's doing a serious different job in that stuff. It's been great. I love he's catching the ball, and he's getting vertical. I love he's gotten more targets the last couple of weeks."
Through six games, Pitts ranks No. 3 among tight ends with 328 receiving yards, No. 6 in targets with 37 and No. 8 in receptions with 25. There are 21 tight ends league-wide with at least 20 catches, and Pitts and the Ravens' Mark Andrews are the only one averaging at least 13 yards per reception, a nod to his explosiveness.
Yet Morris believes all of those areas can improve. After all, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Pitts is often referred to as a "Unicorn" due to his size, athleticism and skill set, and such production should be the expectation, not a storyline.
But as Pitts and the Falcons (4-3) move toward kickoff at 1 p.m. Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) in Raymond James Stadium, capturing Pitts's progress from underperforming September to difference-making October is important.
And if it continues, Pitts's emergence gives Atlanta's offense a new identity.
"Lethal," receiver Drake London said.
