Kyle Pitts has now scored 14 touchdowns since being selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 selection process.
National Football League 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts registered three scores as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a dramatic rally to secure a nail-biting 29-28 triumph over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez converted a clutch field goal as time ran out, while Pitts became only the eighth tight end in league history to record three touchdown catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a single contest.
After beginning the year as one of the NFL's early-season pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the summit of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just three contests remaining in the regular campaign.
They now hold a 7-7 record after losing 5 of their last six games. This includes back-to-back home defeats in the span of five days to two divisional opponents who are out of play-off contention.
Contest Summary
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons held a 14-13 lead at half-time. This followed Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just one score all season, hauled in his first two scores.
The Buccaneers subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth period after QB Baker Mayfield connected on scoring throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth straight start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The veteran then led the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter rally of his distinguished NFL tenure.
Tailback Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts completed his three-touchdown game. Atlanta then regained possession with under two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being pinned to a third and 28 after a fumble recovery and a ten-yard penalty, Cousins made crucial passes to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to get the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins finished with 373 yards through the air and three scoring throws to Pitts, who amassed 166 receiving yards from 11 receptions.
Postseason Ramifications
Atlanta is now 5-9, and their surprise victory of Tampa Bay did a favour for the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now sit atop the NFC South and are set to face the Buccaneers in two of their last four games. Only the team that wins the division is assured a play-off berth.
