Kyle Pitts has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being drafted as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 selection process.
National Football League 2025 Campaign: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts scored three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a dramatic rally to secure a last-gasp 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez booted a clutch field goal as time expired, while Pitts etched his name as only the eighth tight end in league history to record three touchdown catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a single contest.
After starting the season as one of the NFL's initial pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the top of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just 3 contests left in the regular campaign.
They currently possess a 7-7 record after suffering 5 of their last six games. This features back-to-back home-field losses in the span of five days to two division rivals who are out of postseason the race.
Contest Recap
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons held a 14-13 advantage at the intermission. This followed 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 fourth period after QB Baker Mayfield connected on touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins was making his fourth consecutive start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The veteran proceeded to guide the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter comeback of his distinguished career.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts completed his hat-trick. Atlanta then regained the ball 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 infraction, Cousins made crucial passes to Pitts and receiver 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 passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 receiving yards from 11 catches.
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 lead the NFC South and will face the Buccaneers in two of their final 4 games. Only the division winner is guaranteed a postseason berth.
