Kyle Pitts has now scored 14 touchdowns since being selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Season: Week 15
Kyle Pitts scored three scores as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a late comeback to secure a last-gasp 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez booted a game-winning field goal as time expired, while Pitts became only the eighth tight end in league history to record three touchdown catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a single contest.
After beginning the year as one of the NFL's early-season leaders, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the summit of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just three games left in the regular season.
They currently possess a 7-7 record after suffering five of their previous six games. This features back-to-back home-field defeats in the space of five days to two division rivals who are out of postseason the race.
Game Recap
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons held a 14-13 lead at half-time. This came after Pitts, who came into Thursday's matchup with just one score all year, claimed his initial pair of scores.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 lead early in the final period after quarterback Baker Mayfield threw touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Experienced signal-caller 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 comeback of his distinguished NFL tenure.
Running back Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts completed his three-touchdown game. Atlanta then regained possession with under two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a 10-yard infraction, Cousins completed key throws to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to position the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins finished with 373 yards through the air and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from 11 receptions.
Playoff Implications
Atlanta is now 5-9, and their surprise victory of Tampa Bay did a favour for the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now lead the NFC South and are set to face the Buccaneers in two of their last 4 games. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a postseason berth.
