Kyle Pitts has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being drafted as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
NFL 2025 Campaign: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts scored three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a late comeback to snatch a nail-biting 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted a clutch field goal as time expired, while Pitts became only the eighth tight end in NFL history to achieve three receiving catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a single game.
After starting the year as one of the NFL's initial pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the summit of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just three contests left in the regular season.
They currently possess a 7-7 record after losing 5 of their last six games. This includes back-to-back home defeats in the space of 5 days to two divisional opponents who are out of postseason the race.
Contest Recap
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons took a 14-13 advantage at half-time. This came after Pitts, who entered Thursday's matchup with just one touchdown all year, hauled in his first two scores.
The home team then surged into a 28-14 lead early in the final period after quarterback Baker Mayfield connected on scoring passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Experienced signal-caller Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth straight start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old then led the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter rally of his illustrious career.
Running back Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts completed his hat-trick. Atlanta then regained possession with under two minutes remaining.
And despite being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after recovering his own fumble and a ten-yard infraction, Cousins made crucial throws to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to position the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins finished with 373 yards through the air and three touchdown throws to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from 11 receptions.
Postseason Ramifications
Atlanta is now 5-9, and their upset of Tampa Bay did a favour for the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now lead the NFC South and will face the Buccaneers in 2 of their final four matchups. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a play-off spot.
