Kyle Pitts has now recorded 14 scores since being drafted as the number four overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts registered three scores as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a late rally to secure a nail-biting 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez converted a game-winning kick as time expired, while Pitts etched his name as only the 8th tight end in league history to achieve three touchdown catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a single game.
After starting the year as one of the NFL's early-season pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the top of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just three contests remaining in the regular season.
They currently possess a 7-7 record after suffering 5 of their previous six games. This features consecutive home defeats in the space of 5 days to two divisional opponents who are eliminated from postseason the race.
Game Recap
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons took a 14-13 lead at half-time. This followed Pitts, who came into Thursday's game with just a single touchdown all year, hauled in his initial pair of touchdowns.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 lead early in the fourth period after QB Baker Mayfield connected on touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was making his fourth straight start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old then led the Falcons to the thirty-second final period comeback of his distinguished career.
Tailback Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back the ball with under two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a ten-yard penalty, Cousins completed key passes to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to position the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins ended the day with 373 passing yards and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from 11 receptions.
Playoff Ramifications
Atlanta improved to 5-9, and their surprise victory of Tampa Bay greatly helped the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now lead the NFC South and will face the Buccaneers in two of their final four games. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a postseason berth.
