Kyle Pitts' career night drew polarizing reactions from NFL fans for funny timing

The Atlanta Falcons upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football 29-28, and they did it behind a historic performance from Kyle Pitts. The veteran tight end had the best game of his career, catching 11 of 12 targets for 166 yards and three touchdowns. The performance helped Atlanta pick up its fifth win, while also hurting Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes.

Pitts hasn’t had more than 100 receiving yards in a game since his rookie season, but he changed that on Thursday. The career performance from the tight end couldn’t have come at a better, or worst, time for NFL fans. The reason why is that Week 15 signifies the start of fantasy football playoffs. So Pitts made a lot of fantasy managers happy on Thursday, while also infuriating plenty of others.

Kyle Pitts goes off for the start of fantasy football playoffs

Pitts, entered Thursday night averaging just 4.8 receptions and 48.5 yards per game, with one touchdown. In other words, he hasn’t been much of a factor in the fantasy football realm. Now, with postseason stakes in full effect, Pitts delivered a performance that could catapult fantasy teams to victory, and that likely resulted in a wide array of reactions.

There are plenty of managers who are surely beating themselves up for leaving Pitts on their bench, and there are others who are rejoicing because they made the decision to start him. There are also the fans who are facing off against Pitts, who are fearful that their entire fantasy season will result in a quick playoff exit because a "disappointing" tight end played at a form he never has in the NFL.

While Pitts’ performance sent shockwaves through the fantasy world, it’d be great if Thursday was a building block for the tight end who is still just 25 years old. Of course, catching 11 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns isn’t going to happen every game, but people have been waiting for Pitts to be more of a consistent factor.

The veteran tight end was the highest drafted tight end in NFL history, going fourth overall in 2021, but after a Pro Bowl rookie season, Pitts hasn’t consistently delivered the dominance that his talent is capable of.

Now, in the final season of his rookie contract, Pitts is set to enter free agency, and his future is unknown. Thursday’s game was a reminder that he’s immensely talented, so it’ll be interesting to see how he builds on the career night, entering a big offseason.