Kyle Pitts has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being selected as the number four 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 late comeback to secure a last-gasp 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted a game-winning kick as time expired, while Pitts became only the eighth tight end in NFL history to record three receiving catches and over 150 receiving yards in a single contest.
After beginning the year as one of the NFL's early-season pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the summit of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just three games remaining in the regular season.
They now hold a 7-7 record after losing 5 of their last six games. This features back-to-back home-field defeats in the span of 5 days to two division opponents who are out of postseason contention.
Contest Recap
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons held a 14-13 advantage at half-time. This followed Pitts, who came into Thursday's game with just a single touchdown all season, hauled in his initial pair of scores.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 lead early in the final quarter after QB Baker Mayfield threw touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins was making his fourth straight start after a year-ending injury to Atlanta's starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old then led the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter comeback of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Tailback Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta then regained the ball with less than two minutes remaining.
And despite being backed up to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a 10-yard penalty, Cousins made crucial throws to Pitts and wideout 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 scoring throws to Pitts, who collected 166 receiving yards from eleven catches.
Playoff Implications
Atlanta is now 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 4 matchups. Only the team that wins the division is assured a postseason berth.
