Kyle Pitts has now scored 14 scores since being selected as the number four overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Season: Week 15
Kyle Pitts scored three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a late rally to snatch a nail-biting 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted a game-winning kick as time ran out, while Pitts etched his name as only the 8th tight end in league history to achieve three touchdown catches and over 150 receiving yards in a same contest.
After starting the year as one of the NFL's initial leaders, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the top of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just three contests remaining in the regular campaign.
They now hold a 7-7 mark after losing five of their previous six games. This includes consecutive home defeats in the space of five days to two division rivals who are out of play-off the race.
Game Recap
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons took a 14-13 lead at the intermission. This followed Pitts, who came into Thursday's matchup with just one touchdown all season, hauled in his initial pair of scores.
The Buccaneers then surged into a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth period after quarterback Baker Mayfield connected on scoring throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was making his fourth consecutive start after a season-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.
Tailback Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts secured his hat-trick. Atlanta subsequently won back the ball with less than two minutes left on the clock.
And despite being pinned to a third and 28 after a fumble recovery and a ten-yard infraction, Cousins made key throws to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to position the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins ended the day with 373 passing yards and three scoring throws to Pitts, who collected 166 yards from eleven catches.
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 are set to face the Buccaneers in two of their last four games. Only the division winner is guaranteed a postseason spot.
