Kyle Pitts has now recorded 14 scores since being selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts registered three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a late rally to snatch a last-gasp 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez converted a game-winning kick as time expired, while Pitts became only the 8th tight end in league history to record three touchdown catches and over 150 yards through the air in a single game.
After beginning the year as one of the NFL's initial leaders, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the summit of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just three contests remaining in the regular season.
They now hold a 7-7 mark after losing five of their last six games. This includes consecutive home losses in the span of 5 days to two division opponents who are eliminated from play-off the race.
Game Summary
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons took a 14-13 advantage at half-time. This followed Pitts, who came into Thursday's game with just one score all season, hauled in his initial pair of scores.
The Buccaneers subsequently raced into a 28-14 lead early in the fourth period after QB Baker Mayfield threw touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth straight start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old then led the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter rally of his illustrious career.
Running back Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts secured his hat-trick. Atlanta subsequently won back the ball with under two minutes left on the clock.
And despite being backed up to a difficult third-down situation after recovering his own fumble and a 10-yard infraction, Cousins made crucial throws to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to get the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins ended the day with 373 yards through the air and three scoring passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from 11 catches.
Postseason Implications
Atlanta improved to 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 2 of their last four matchups. Only the division winner is assured a postseason spot.
