Kyle Pitts has now scored 14 touchdowns since being selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 selection process.
National Football League 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts registered three scores as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a late comeback to snatch a nail-biting 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted a game-winning field goal as time expired, while Pitts etched his name as only the eighth tight end in NFL history to record three touchdown catches and over 150 receiving yards in a single contest.
After beginning the season as one of the NFL's initial leaders, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the top of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just three games remaining in the regular campaign.
They currently possess a 7-7 record after suffering five of their last six games. This features back-to-back home losses in the span of 5 days to two division opponents who are out of play-off 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 touchdown all year, hauled in his initial pair of touchdowns.
The home team then surged into a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth period after QB Baker Mayfield threw scoring passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Experienced quarterback Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth straight start after a year-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 comeback of his distinguished career.
Running back Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts secured his hat-trick. Atlanta then regained the ball with less than two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being backed up to a difficult third-down situation after recovering his own fumble and a 10-yard infraction, Cousins completed crucial passes to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to position the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins finished with 373 yards through the air and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from 11 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 games. Only the division winner is assured a play-off berth.
