Kyle Pitts has now scored 14 touchdowns since being selected as the number four overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Season: Week 15
Kyle Pitts scored three scores as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a dramatic rally to secure a nail-biting 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez booted a clutch field goal as time expired, while Pitts etched his name as only the eighth tight end in league history to record three touchdown catches and over 150 receiving yards in a same contest.
After beginning the season as one of the NFL's initial pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the summit of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just 3 contests remaining in the regular campaign.
They now hold a 7-7 mark after losing 5 of their last six games. This features back-to-back home defeats in the span of five days to two division opponents who are out of play-off contention.
Contest Recap
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons held a 14-13 lead at the intermission. This came after Pitts, who entered Thursday's matchup with just a single score all season, claimed his first two touchdowns.
The home team then surged into a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth period after QB Baker Mayfield threw touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth straight start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old then led the Falcons to the thirty-second final period comeback of his distinguished career.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back possession with under two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after recovering his own fumble and a 10-yard infraction, Cousins completed crucial throws to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to position the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins ended the day with 373 yards through the air and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who collected 166 receiving yards from eleven catches.
Postseason Ramifications
Atlanta improved to 5-9, and their surprise victory of Tampa Bay greatly helped the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now lead the NFC South and are set to face the Buccaneers in 2 of their final four games. Only the division winner is guaranteed a postseason berth.
