Monday recap: Kyle Pitts has hamstring injury, Saints game flexed

The Atlanta Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention after losing to the Buffalo Bills in Week 17, but they still have one game remaining against the Saints with an opportunity to spoil New Orleans’ postseason hopes.

In our Monday recap, we look at the updated NFL draft order, Arthur Smith gives an update on Kyle Pitts’ injury, and Falcons running backs coach Des Kitchings departs for a college offensive coordinator gig.

Week 18 matchup vs. Saints flexed to 4:25 p.m.

The Falcons can’t go back and fix their mistakes from earlier in the season, but they can end the year on a high note by knocking the Saints out of the NFC playoff hunt. The NFL flexed Sunday’s game from 1:00 p.m to 4:25 p.m. ET. With a win, Atlanta will have finished the year with two-straight victories at Mercedes-Benz Stadium after losing five in a row to open the season.

Draft order: Falcons still in top 10

The Falcons lost on Sunday and unfortunately, they didn’t gain any ground in the current 2022 NFL draft order. Atlanta sits at No. 10 with one game remaining, and the team could still potentially move up to No. 9 with a loss and a win by Washington in Week 18.

Week 17 snap counts

The Falcons continue to split playing time between Mike Davis and Cordarrelle Patterson. As ESPN’s Michael Rothstein points out, rookie CB Darren Hall, along with Shawn Williams and Kendall Sheffield, got more reps than usual. Kyle Pitts, who played just 51 percent of the team’s offensive snaps, injured his hamstring during the game.

Smith vague about Kyle Pitts' injury status

Pitts has been extremely valuable to the Falcons in large part due to his ability to stay on the field. In Week 17, the rookie went over 1,000 yards for the season but injured his hamstring in the process. Per usual, Arthur Smith said very little about player injuries on Monday. With Mike Ditka’s record in reach, hopefully Pitts gets a chance to cap off his phenomenal rookie season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in historic fashion.

RBs coach Des Kitchings off to Virginia

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Last week, it was reported that Falcons running backs coach Des Kitchings was being considered for the Virginia offensive coordinator position. On Monday, Arthur Smith said Kitchings had accepted the job and that the team will take a by committee approach to coaching the running backs for the remainder week of the season.

Julio Jones having worst season of his career

Atlanta was loaded at the wide receiver position not that long ago, but looking at the current roster, you wouldn’t know it. After trading Julio Jones, fans were frustrated that the team wasn’t able to secure a first-round pick in return for one of the greatest players in franchise history. Jones hasn’t exactly thrived in Tennessee, though. In fact, Jones is on pace for the worst statistical season of his entire career due to injuries and time he spent on the COVID reserve. However, the Titans didn’t trade him for stats, they traded him for a playoff run. Jones is getting healthy just in time to make an impact when it matters most.

Oluokun is NFL's leader in tackles

Foye is leading the NFL in tackles, but it was his recent interceptions that truly highlight the progress Oluokun has made in this defense. It’s safe to say the Falcons didn’t think the former sixth-round pick out of Yale would have panned out this well. We’ll see if Atlanta opts to retain Oluokun long term.

Studs and Duds from Week 17

Running back Mike Davis and linebacker Foye Oluokun were among the standouts for the Falcons in this week’s studs and duds.

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