Kyle Pitts has now scored 14 touchdowns since being drafted as the number four overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts scored three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a late comeback to snatch a last-gasp 29-28 triumph over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez booted a game-winning field goal as time expired, while Pitts etched his name as only the eighth tight end in league history to achieve three receiving catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a single game.
After starting the year as one of the NFL's early-season leaders, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the top of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just three games remaining in the regular season.
They now hold a 7-7 mark after losing 5 of their last six games. This includes back-to-back home losses in the space of five days to two division opponents who are out of play-off the race.
Contest Summary
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons took a 14-13 advantage at the intermission. This followed Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just one touchdown all year, claimed his initial pair of touchdowns.
The home team then surged into a 28-14 lead early in the final 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 primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old proceeded to guide the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter rally of his illustrious career.
Tailback Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts completed his three-touchdown game. Atlanta then regained the ball with less than two minutes left on the clock.
And despite being backed up to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery 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 kick a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins finished with 373 yards through the air and three scoring passes to Pitts, who collected 166 yards from eleven receptions.
Postseason Ramifications
Atlanta improved to 5-9, and their upset of Tampa Bay did a favour for the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now lead the NFC South and will face the Buccaneers in two of their final four games. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a postseason berth.
