Kyle Pitts has now scored 14 touchdowns since being drafted as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Season: Week 15
Kyle Pitts notched three scores as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a late comeback to secure a nail-biting 29-28 triumph over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez booted a game-winning field goal as time ran out, while Pitts became only the eighth tight end in league history to record three receiving catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a same contest.
After beginning 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 three games left in the regular campaign.
They now hold a 7-7 record after losing five of their last six games. This includes back-to-back home defeats in the span of five days to two divisional rivals who are out of play-off the race.
Contest Recap
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons took a 14-13 advantage at the intermission. This came after Pitts, who came into Thursday's game with just a single touchdown all year, hauled in his initial pair of scores.
The Buccaneers then surged into a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth quarter after quarterback Baker Mayfield threw touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Experienced quarterback 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 fourth-quarter rally of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Running back Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts completed his hat-trick. Atlanta subsequently won back the ball with less than two minutes left on the clock.
And despite being backed up to a third and 28 after a fumble recovery and a 10-yard infraction, Cousins made crucial passes to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to get the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins ended the day with 373 yards through the air and three touchdown throws to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from 11 receptions.
Postseason Ramifications
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 will face the Buccaneers in two of their final 4 games. Only the division winner is assured a play-off berth.
