Kyle Pitts has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts scored three scores as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a dramatic comeback to snatch a last-gasp 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted a clutch field goal as time ran out, while Pitts etched his name as only the eighth tight end in NFL history to record three touchdown catches and over 150 receiving yards in a single game.
After beginning the year as one of the NFL's initial leaders, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the summit of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just 3 games left in the regular season.
They now hold a 7-7 record after losing five of their previous six outings. This features consecutive home defeats in the span of 5 days to two divisional opponents who are out of postseason contention.
Contest Summary
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons took a 14-13 advantage at the intermission. This came after Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just a single score all season, hauled in his first two scores.
The Buccaneers then surged into a 28-14 advantage early in the final quarter after quarterback Baker Mayfield threw touchdown throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins was making his fourth consecutive start after a year-ending injury to Atlanta's starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old proceeded to guide the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter rally of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Tailback Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts secured his hat-trick. 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 penalty, Cousins made key passes to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to position the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from eleven catches.
Postseason Ramifications
Atlanta is now 5-9, and their surprise victory of Tampa Bay did a favour for the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now sit atop the NFC South and will face the Buccaneers in two of their last 4 matchups. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a play-off spot.
