Kyle Pitts has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 selection process.
National Football League 2025 Campaign: Week 15
Kyle Pitts notched three scores as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a late comeback to secure a nail-biting 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez converted a clutch field goal as time ran out, while Pitts became only the 8th tight end in NFL history to achieve three receiving catches and over 150 receiving yards in a same contest.
After beginning 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 left in the regular campaign.
They currently possess a 7-7 mark after losing 5 of their last six outings. This features back-to-back home defeats in the span of five days to two divisional opponents 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 advantage at the intermission. This followed Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just a single touchdown all season, hauled in his initial pair of scores.
The Buccaneers subsequently raced into a 28-14 lead early in the fourth period after quarterback Baker Mayfield connected on 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 starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old proceeded to guide the Falcons to the thirty-second final period comeback of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Tailback Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts completed his hat-trick. 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 penalty, Cousins completed key passes to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to get the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three scoring passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from 11 catches.
Playoff Implications
Atlanta improved to 5-9, and their upset of Tampa Bay greatly helped the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now lead the NFC South and will face the Buccaneers in two of their final 4 games. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a play-off spot.
