Kyle Pitts has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being drafted as the number four overall pick in the 2021 selection process.
National Football League 2025 Campaign: Week 15
Kyle Pitts registered three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a dramatic rally to snatch a last-gasp 29-28 victory 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 receiving catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a same 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 first time in 2025, with just 3 contests left in the regular season.
They now hold a 7-7 record after losing 5 of their last six games. This includes back-to-back home-field defeats in the span of 5 days to two divisional rivals who are eliminated from play-off contention.
Contest Recap
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons took a 14-13 lead at the intermission. This followed Pitts, who came into Thursday's game with just one score all season, claimed his first two touchdowns.
The Buccaneers subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the final period after quarterback Baker Mayfield connected on touchdown throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Experienced signal-caller Kirk Cousins was making his fourth consecutive 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 fourth-quarter comeback of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Running back Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts secured his hat-trick. Atlanta subsequently won back the ball with less than two minutes left on the clock.
And despite being backed up to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a ten-yard penalty, Cousins completed crucial 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 yards through the air and three touchdown throws to Pitts, who collected 166 receiving yards from eleven catches.
Postseason Ramifications
Atlanta is now 5-9, and their surprise victory of Tampa Bay greatly helped the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now sit atop the NFC South and will face the Buccaneers in two of their final four matchups. Only the division winner is guaranteed a play-off spot.
