Kyle Pitts has now scored 14 touchdowns since being drafted as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
NFL 2025 Season: Week 15
Kyle Pitts scored three scores as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a late comeback to snatch a nail-biting 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez booted a clutch field goal as time ran out, while Pitts etched his name as only the eighth 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 pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the summit of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just 3 contests remaining in the regular campaign.
They now hold a 7-7 record after suffering five of their last six games. This features back-to-back home-field defeats in the span of 5 days to two division rivals who are eliminated from play-off the race.
Game Summary
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons held a 14-13 lead at half-time. This followed Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just a single touchdown all year, hauled in his first two scores.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the final period after QB Baker Mayfield threw scoring throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth consecutive start after a year-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old then led the Falcons to the thirty-second final period rally of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Tailback Bijan Robinson found 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 even after being pinned to a third and 28 after recovering his own fumble and a 10-yard penalty, Cousins made key passes to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to get the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three touchdown throws to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from eleven catches.
Playoff Implications
Atlanta is now 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 final four games. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a postseason berth.
