It’s the fourth Sunday of October, which can only mean one thing: National Tight Ends Day.
Sunday marks the fifth annual celebration of the informal event, and the tight ends came out ready to play. By the end of the first window of games on Sunday’s holiday, seven different tight ends caught touchdowns, eight if you include Minnesota Vikings’ Josh Oliver’s score from Thursday night.
The Atlanta Falcons’ Kyle Pitts was the leading reveler, notching his first-career multi-touchdown game. Here’s a quick roundup of the day’s best celebratory performances, plus a quick bit of history.
Kyle Pitts
Pitts put together the type of game fantasy football managers have been waiting on for years. The ultra-talented 24-year-old got National Tight Ends Day started with a bang, scoring two first-half touchdowns, both of which displayed the unique blend of size and speed that got him drafted with the No. 4 pick in 2021.
He finished the holiday with four catches for a season-high 91 yards to go with the two scores.
Kyle Pitts 49-yard TOUCHDOWN. #NationalTightEndsDay
📺: #ATLvsTB on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/GTk6Nm51LJ— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024
Cade Otton
On the opposite sideline of Pitts, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were without star receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans on Sunday, but celebrated National Tight Ends Day to great success anyway.
Otton matched Pitts’ dominance, scoring two touchdowns of his own and finishing with 81 yards on nine receptions.
Brock Wright and Sam LaPorta
The Detroit duo didn’t want to hog the holiday love, so the Lions’ tight ends each caught a touchdown.
Wright got the partying started first in the second quarter, reaching the end zone for the first in 2024, where he was quickly mobbed by LaPorta.
Brocktober 🤝 #NationalTightEndsDay#TENvsDET 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/eFzBUOVpve
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 27, 2024
By the end of the frame, LaPorta was dancing in the end zone himself, catching a laser from running back David Montgomery on a trick play.
Mark Andrews vs. David Njoku
A National Tight End Day mainstay, Andrews has had a quieter 2024 than years past, but the Baltimore Ravens star was in top form against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The three-time Pro Bowler scored his fourth touchdown of the season.
Andrews’ touchdown came minutes after Njoku gave the Browns a third-quarter lead with a leaping 23-yard touchdown grab.
Andrews and Njoku finished their star-studded holiday game with a combined 10 receptions for 97 yards and the two touchdowns.
Other touchdown scorers
- Tyler Conklin: The New York Jets tight end scored on an impressive, one-handed grab in traffic against the New England Patriots to give the Jets their first touchdown of the game
- Tucker Kraft: Kraft scored his fifth touchdown in five games Sunday, helping the Green Bay Packers build a lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth quarter.
- Evan Engram: The Jaguars tight end is a favorite target of Trevor Lawrence, and their touchdown connection Sunday couldn’t have come at a better time. With under two minutes to play, Engram out-leaped three Packers defenders to score a late touchdown to tie the game.
- Nate Adkins: Welcome to the party, Nate Adkins! The Denver Broncos tight end scored his first career touchdown on a pass from Bo Nix against the Carolina Panthers.
- Josh Oliver: Does Oliver’s touchdown Thursday night count? For this exercise, sure. The Minnesota Vikings hit their tight end for a first-quarter touchdown on National Tight Ends Day-eve-eve-eve.
History of National Tight Ends Day
In Week 2 of 2018, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo connected with tight end Garrett Celek on an 11-yard touchdown. Back on the sidelines, the always-colorful George Kittle later shared a conversation he joined in on.
“We were on the sidelines after Celek’s score when Jimmy asked, ‘What is it, like National Tight Ends Day?’” Kittle said. “I was like, ‘yeah, it’s National Tight Ends Day. It’s a holiday. Tight ends all over the league are scoring touchdowns.’ That’s how it came to be. We just kind of rolled with it.”
The idea grew in 2019 before the NFL fully embraced the concept with promotional content in 2020. By 2023, the holiday was so beloved it extended beyond the sport, grabbing the attention of basketball’s biggest star LeBron James.
Last year’s National Tight Ends Day shoutout from @kingjames was pure gold 👑
📅: #NationalTightEndsDay – Sunday Oct. 27 pic.twitter.com/RisRlzcBkI
— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2024
(Photo: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)
