The star tight end has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being drafted as the number four overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Campaign: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts notched three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a dramatic rally to snatch a last-gasp 29-28 triumph over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez booted a clutch 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 starting the year as one of the NFL's initial leaders, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the top of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just 3 contests left in the regular campaign.
They currently possess a 7-7 mark after losing 5 of their previous six outings. This features consecutive home defeats in the span of 5 days to two divisional opponents 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 lead at the intermission. This followed Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just a single touchdown all season, hauled in his first two scores.
The home team then surged into a 28-14 lead early in the final quarter after quarterback Baker Mayfield threw scoring passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth consecutive start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old proceeded to guide the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter comeback of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Tailback Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts secured his hat-trick. Atlanta then regained possession with less than two minutes remaining.
And despite being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a 10-yard penalty, Cousins completed key passes 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 finished with 373 passing yards and three touchdown throws to Pitts, who collected 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 will face the Buccaneers in 2 of their final 4 matchups. Only the division winner is guaranteed a play-off spot.
