Al Michaels knows all about miracles. But on Thursday night when the Atlanta hosts Tampa Bay, he’s about to watch a Falcons mystery.
“I think they’re one of the more mysterious teams in the league right now,” Michaels told ESPN’s Pat McAfee on Thursday’s Pat McAfee Show. “They’re 2-2 and every game has been close. They could be 4-0, they could be 0-4.”
Michaels pointed to the mysterious Falcons offense, which ranks 22nd in the league at 309.3 yards per game and 29th with a sputtering 29.3 red-zone percentage. Specifically, as most fantasy owners have wondered for three years now, Michaels questioned why Atlanta hasn’t involved Kyle Pitts as much as the Falcons did his rookie season, 2021. Pitts had zero catches on three targets in last week’s win over the Saints, one in which failed to score an offensive touchdown. Through four games, the tight end has just eight catches for 105 yards and a touchdown.
But while the franchise shocked most observers by selecting quarterback Michael Penix just six weeks after signing Kirk Cousins, and kept the rookie on the sideline most of the preseason, Michaels has seen this before. He brought up the success Green Bay achieved by drafting Aaron Rodgers in 2005 to sit behind Brett Favre, and Jordan Love in 2020 to sit behind Rodgers.
Speaking of Rodgers, if the Jets don’t work as a trade destination for Davante Adams, why not Atlanta? Cousins has enjoyed plenty of success with established elite receivers. Plus, Falcons vice president of football operations/player personnel Ryan Pace has experience orchestrating big trades with the Raiders. As general manager of the Bears, he engineered the 2018 trade that sent All-Pro Khalil Mack to Chicago.
What’s not a mystery is that Atlanta needs to beat the first-place Buccaneers (3-1) on Thursday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video). Michaels believes the Falcons will respond favorably.
“This is a big game tonight,” he said. “It’s early in the season and you’re not going to win the Super Bowl or lose the Super Bowl in Week 5. But all of a sudden, they’d be two games back if they lose to Tampa and they get them again in three weeks. I expect them to play well tonight.”