Kyle Pitts has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being selected as the number four overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts notched three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a dramatic rally to snatch a nail-biting 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez converted a clutch kick as time expired, while Pitts etched his name as only the 8th tight end in league history to achieve three receiving catches and over 150 receiving yards in a single contest.
After beginning the year as one of the NFL's early-season leaders, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the top of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just 3 contests left in the regular season.
They currently possess a 7-7 record after losing five of their previous six games. This features back-to-back home losses in the space of five days to two division opponents who are out of postseason the race.
Contest Summary
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons held a 14-13 advantage at the intermission. This came after Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just a single score all season, claimed his initial pair of scores.
The home team then surged into a 28-14 lead early in the final period after quarterback Baker Mayfield connected on touchdown throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth straight start after a year-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old then led the Falcons to the thirty-second final period comeback of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Tailback Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts completed his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back possession with under two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being backed up to a difficult third-down situation after recovering his own fumble and a ten-yard infraction, Cousins made crucial passes to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to get the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins ended the day with 373 passing yards and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who collected 166 yards from eleven catches.
Playoff Ramifications
Atlanta improved to 5-9, and their surprise victory of Tampa Bay did a favour for the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now lead the NFC South and are set to face the Buccaneers in 2 of their final 4 games. Only the team that wins the division is assured a play-off spot.
