Kyle Pitts has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being selected as the number four overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Campaign: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts notched three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a late comeback to snatch a nail-biting 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez converted a game-winning kick as time expired, while Pitts became only the eighth tight end in NFL history to achieve three touchdown catches and over 150 receiving yards in a single contest.
After beginning the season 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 remaining in the regular campaign.
They currently possess a 7-7 record after losing 5 of their last six games. This features consecutive home defeats in the space of five days to two division opponents who are eliminated from play-off contention.
Game Recap
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons held a 14-13 advantage at half-time. This came after Pitts, who came into Thursday's game with just one score all year, hauled in his first two touchdowns.
The home team then surged into a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth quarter after QB Baker Mayfield threw scoring throws 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 37-year-old then led the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter comeback of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta then regained the ball with under two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after recovering his own fumble and a ten-yard penalty, Cousins completed crucial throws to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to position the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from 11 receptions.
Postseason Implications
Atlanta is now 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 last 4 matchups. Only the division winner is guaranteed a play-off berth.
