Kyle Pitts has now scored 14 touchdowns since being selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Campaign: Week 15
Kyle Pitts scored 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 booted a game-winning field goal as time ran out, while Pitts etched his name as only the 8th tight end in NFL history to record three touchdown catches and over 150 receiving yards in a single game.
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 first time in 2025, with just three contests remaining in the regular campaign.
They currently possess a 7-7 record after losing 5 of their last six games. This includes consecutive home defeats in the span of five days to two division rivals who are out of play-off the race.
Contest Recap
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons held a 14-13 advantage at the intermission. This followed Pitts, who came into Thursday's matchup with just one score all season, claimed his initial pair of scores.
The Buccaneers 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 signal-caller Kirk Cousins was making his fourth straight start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old proceeded to guide the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter rally of his distinguished career.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta then regained possession with under two minutes remaining.
And even after being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery 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 kick a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins ended the day with 373 yards through the air and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 receiving yards from eleven receptions.
Postseason Implications
Atlanta is now 5-9, and their upset 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 2 of their final four matchups. Only the division winner is guaranteed a play-off berth.