When Kyle Pitts caught the game-tying touchdown pass against the Washington Commanders on Sunday night, he got swept up in the emotion of the moment and launched the ball into the air. What Pitts didn't realize at the time was he'd just thrown away Michael Penix Jr.'s first NFL touchdown ball.
With 1:19 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Atlanta Falcons trailing, 24-17, Penix found Pitts in the end zone on a clutch fourth-down throw. In celebration, Pitts chucked the ball in no particular direction.
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Pitts admitted he had no idea that was Penix's first touchdown throw. The rookie out of Washington didn't find the end zone in his NFL debut, a 34-7 win over the New York Giants, one week prior.
"I didn't know that was his first one," Pitts said. "I thought he threw it the week prior. I didn't mean to throw his ball like that."
Fortunately for Pitts, the ball never left the field. One of the ballboys scooped it up, so there was no need to negotiate with a fan to retrieve Penix's first touchdown.
"Yeah, we did," Pitts said. "We definitely had to track that down. I was pretty upset. It actually went pretty high. It went to one of the back ballboys, so we got it."
Penix will remember that play for the rest of his life, and thanks to some good fortune and a watchful ballboy, he'll have the ball to go along with that memory.
The No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Penix took over as the Falcons' starter in Week 16. Through his first two NFL starts, Penix has completed 59.7% of his passes for 425 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
