Kyle Pitts has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Campaign: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts scored three scores as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a late rally to secure a nail-biting 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez converted a clutch kick as time expired, while Pitts became only the eighth tight end in league history to achieve three touchdown catches and over 150 yards through the air in a single game.
After beginning the year as one of the NFL's initial leaders, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the summit of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just 3 contests left in the regular campaign.
They now hold a 7-7 mark after suffering 5 of their last six games. This features back-to-back home-field defeats in the space of 5 days to two divisional opponents who are out of play-off the race.
Game Recap
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons took a 14-13 lead at half-time. This followed Pitts, who entered Thursday's matchup with just a single touchdown all year, hauled in his first two scores.
The Buccaneers then surged into a 28-14 lead early in the final period after QB Baker Mayfield connected on scoring passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Experienced signal-caller Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth consecutive start after a year-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The veteran then led the Falcons to the thirty-second final period comeback of his illustrious 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 backed up to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a ten-yard infraction, Cousins completed key passes to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to position the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins ended the day with 373 yards through the air and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who collected 166 receiving yards from eleven catches.
Playoff Ramifications
Atlanta is now 5-9, and their surprise victory 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 last 4 matchups. Only the division winner is guaranteed a postseason berth.
