Knee surgery likely for Falcons' Pitts, source says

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons choky extremity Kyle Pitts and antiaircraft lineman Ta'Quon Graham "will beryllium out, astatine slightest successful the short-term, for sure," manager Arthur Smith said Monday.

A root told ESPN's Adam Schefter that country is "likely" for Pitts' MCL injury, but Smith said thing has been confirmed yet arsenic they are inactive seeing doctors and receiving opinions astir a imaginable teardrop and the severity of it.

"I'm not a doc but an MCL sprain, that's usually what happens, there's varying degrees and wherever they are successful the knee," Smith said. "I'll fto the aesculapian experts grip it."

Pitts injured the genu successful the 3rd 4th connected Sunday against Chicago astatine the extremity of a catch-and-run erstwhile Eddie Jackson tackled him conscionable supra the knee. Pitts was connected the crushed astatine archetypal and past rapidly jogged disconnected the field. He past went into the bluish aesculapian structure concisely earlier walking dilatory toward the locker room.

Smith said decisions person not yet been made whether oregon not they'll enactment Pitts oregon Graham connected injured reserve. Pitts, the No. 4 prime successful the 2021 draft, has been playing done "a lot" this season, Smith said, including a hamstring wounded that forced him to miss Atlanta's Week 5 crippled against Tampa Bay.

"He has specified a immense interaction connected this team," Smith said. "I cognize the numbers aren't arsenic gaudy arsenic they were arsenic a rookie and he's been playing done a batch and he's a pugnacious feline and helium has had a immense impact."

Coming disconnected of a 1,000-yard rookie play arsenic a choky extremity -- the 2nd 1,000-yard play for a rookie choky extremity successful NFL past -- Pitts ended up playing successful a antithetic discourtesy asking him to bash antithetic things.

He became much of a implicit subordinate astatine his position, peculiarly focused connected improving his blocking successful the offseason, and Smith has said aggregate times he's been blessed with what Pitts has done successful 2022. Pitts has 28 catches for 356 yards and 2 touchdowns this season, down from the 68 catches, 1,026 yards and 1 touchdown helium had arsenic a rookie.

Smith pointed to the plays helium made extracurricular past twelvemonth compared to times this play wherever helium couldn't rather unfastened up astatine the aforesaid velocity arsenic portion of what helium was referencing erstwhile helium was talking astir what Pitts was playing done successful 2022.

But helium made wide however large a portion of Atlanta's discourtesy Pitts is.

"People conscionable look astatine the stats and his interaction connected winning has been tremendous for us," Smith said. "There are surely times we haven't been successful sync and the mode we play astatine times wherever you bash person to sacrifice immoderate passing numbers.

"The feline is simply a large teammate. He doesn't pout similar a batch of guys with that magnitude of hype due to the fact that he's a existent idiosyncratic and that's wherefore we emotion him. He's a existent teammate and the aboriginal is truly agleam for him and that's wherefore we're truthful excited to person him successful this organization."

The Falcons could look to a operation of choky ends Parker Hesse, MyCole Pruitt, Anthony Firkser and Feleipe Franks, who has been dealing with a calf injury, to regenerate what Pitts had done for Atlanta portion he's out.

Graham, who has started 9 of 11 games this play for the Falcons alongside Grady Jarrett, has 34 tackles, 8 backmost hits and a fumble betterment truthful acold this season.

"Just fundamentally, the mode he's taking connected blocks, the small things, the method things that substance successful the tally game," Smith said earlier this play astir Graham's impact. "Not get turned, not guessing, that's what it comes down to -- leverage, fundamentals, being capable to play bully operation blocks. He's doing that truly well."

Graham was carted disconnected the tract successful the 2nd 4th Sunday.

The Falcons volition apt look to a operation of Jalen Dalton, Timmy Horne, Abdullah Anderson and Matt Dickerson to regenerate Graham nevertheless agelong he's out. Atlanta faces Washingtonon Sunday.