Kyle Pitts has now scored 14 scores since being drafted as the number four overall pick in the 2021 draft.
NFL 2025 Campaign: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts notched three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a dramatic comeback to secure a last-gasp 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted a clutch kick as time ran out, while Pitts became only the 8th tight end in league history to achieve three touchdown catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a same game.
After beginning the season 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 three contests remaining in the regular campaign.
They currently possess a 7-7 record after suffering five of their last six outings. This features consecutive home losses in the space of five days to two divisional rivals who are eliminated from postseason contention.
Game Recap
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons took a 14-13 lead at the intermission. This came after Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just a single score all year, hauled in his first two scores.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth quarter after QB Baker Mayfield threw touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran 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 proceeded to guide the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter comeback 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 under two minutes left on the clock.
And despite being backed up to a third and 28 after a fumble recovery and a 10-yard penalty, Cousins made key throws to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to position the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who collected 166 receiving yards from eleven receptions.
Postseason 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 last 4 games. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a play-off berth.
