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 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 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 more than 150 receiving yards in a same contest.
After starting the season as one of the NFL's initial pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the top of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just 3 contests remaining in the regular season.
They now hold a 7-7 record after suffering five of their previous six games. This includes consecutive home-field losses in the space of five days to two division opponents who are out of postseason contention.
Game Summary
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons held a 14-13 lead at half-time. This followed Pitts, who came into Thursday's game with just one score all year, hauled in his initial pair of touchdowns.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth period after QB Baker Mayfield threw scoring passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was making his fourth straight start after a year-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The veteran proceeded to guide the Falcons to the 32nd fourth-quarter comeback of his illustrious career.
Tailback Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back possession with less than 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 completed key throws to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to position the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins ended the day with 373 yards through the air and three scoring passes to Pitts, who collected 166 yards from eleven catches.
Playoff Ramifications
Atlanta improved to 5-9, and their upset of Tampa Bay greatly helped the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now sit atop the NFC South and are set to face the Buccaneers in two of their final four games. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a play-off berth.
