Kyle Pitts has now recorded 14 scores since being selected as the number four overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts scored three scores as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a late comeback to secure a last-gasp 29-28 triumph over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez booted a game-winning field goal as time ran out, while Pitts became only the 8th tight end in NFL history to record three receiving catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a same game.
After starting the year as one of the NFL's initial pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the summit of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just 3 games left in the regular campaign.
They currently possess a 7-7 mark after suffering 5 of their previous six outings. This features back-to-back home-field defeats in the span of five days to two division rivals who are eliminated from postseason the race.
Contest Recap
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons held a 14-13 lead at the intermission. This came after Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just one touchdown all season, hauled in his first two scores.
The home team then surged into a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth period after QB Baker Mayfield connected on scoring passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins was making his fourth straight start after a year-ending injury to Atlanta's starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The veteran then led the Falcons to the thirty-second final period comeback of his distinguished career.
Tailback Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta then regained the ball with less than two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being backed up to a difficult third-down situation after recovering his own fumble and a 10-yard infraction, Cousins made crucial passes to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to position the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three scoring throws to Pitts, who amassed 166 receiving yards from 11 receptions.
Playoff Implications
Atlanta improved to 5-9, and their surprise victory of Tampa Bay did a favour for the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now sit atop the NFC South and are set to face the Buccaneers in 2 of their last four games. Only the division winner is guaranteed a play-off berth.
