Kyle Pitts has now scored 14 touchdowns since being drafted as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
NFL 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts notched three scores as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a late comeback to secure a nail-biting 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted a clutch field goal as time ran out, while Pitts etched his name as only the eighth tight end in league history to achieve three touchdown catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a same contest.
After starting the season as one of the NFL's initial pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the summit of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just three contests left in the regular season.
They currently possess a 7-7 mark after losing five of their last six games. This includes back-to-back home defeats in the span of five days to two division opponents who are eliminated from postseason the race.
Game Summary
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons held a 14-13 lead at half-time. This came after Pitts, who came into Thursday's game with just one touchdown all year, hauled in his initial pair of touchdowns.
The Buccaneers then surged into a 28-14 lead early in the fourth period after quarterback Baker Mayfield connected on touchdown throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Experienced signal-caller Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth straight start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The veteran then led the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter rally of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta then regained the ball with less than two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after recovering his own fumble and a ten-yard infraction, Cousins completed key throws to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to get the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three touchdown throws to Pitts, who collected 166 receiving yards from eleven catches.
Playoff 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 will face the Buccaneers in two of their final four games. Only the team that wins the division is assured a play-off berth.
