Kyle Pitts has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 selection process.
National Football League 2025 Season: Week 15
Kyle Pitts registered three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a dramatic rally to snatch a nail-biting 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez booted a clutch kick as time ran out, while Pitts became only the 8th tight end in NFL history to record three touchdown catches and over 150 yards through the air in a same contest.
After starting the season as one of the NFL's initial leaders, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the summit of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just 3 contests remaining in the regular season.
They currently possess a 7-7 record after losing five of their previous six games. This features back-to-back home-field defeats in the space of 5 days to two division opponents who are eliminated from play-off the race.
Game Recap
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons took a 14-13 lead at half-time. This came after Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just one touchdown all year, claimed his first two touchdowns.
The Buccaneers then surged into a 28-14 lead early in the fourth quarter after QB Baker Mayfield threw touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth consecutive 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 fourth-quarter rally of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts completed his hat-trick. Atlanta subsequently won back possession with less than two minutes remaining.
And despite being pinned to a third and 28 after a fumble recovery and a ten-yard infraction, Cousins completed key passes to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to position the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins finished with 373 yards through the air and three touchdown throws to Pitts, who amassed 166 receiving yards from 11 catches.
Postseason 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 two of their final 4 matchups. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a postseason berth.
