Kyle Pitts has now scored 14 touchdowns since being selected as the number four overall pick in the 2021 selection process.
NFL 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts notched three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a late rally to secure a last-gasp 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez converted a game-winning kick as time ran out, while Pitts became only the eighth tight end in league history to record three receiving catches and over 150 receiving yards in a same game.
After beginning the year as one of the NFL's initial leaders, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the summit of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just three games left in the regular season.
They currently possess a 7-7 record after losing 5 of their last six games. This features back-to-back home losses in the span of 5 days to two divisional opponents who are out of postseason the race.
Contest Recap
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons took a 14-13 lead at half-time. This followed Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just one score all season, claimed his first two scores.
The home team then surged into a 28-14 lead early in the fourth period after quarterback Baker Mayfield threw scoring passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was making his fourth consecutive 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 distinguished NFL tenure.
Running back Bijan Robinson found 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 third and 28 after a fumble recovery and a ten-yard infraction, Cousins completed crucial passes to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to position the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three touchdown throws to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from eleven catches.
Postseason Ramifications
Atlanta improved to 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 play-off berth.
