Kyle Pitts has now scored 14 touchdowns since being selected as the number four overall pick in the 2021 selection process.
National Football League 2025 Campaign: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts scored three scores as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a late comeback to snatch a nail-biting 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez booted a game-winning field goal as time expired, while Pitts etched his name as only the 8th tight end in NFL history to record three receiving catches and more than 150 yards through the air in a single contest.
After beginning the season as one of the NFL's initial pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the top of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just 3 games remaining in the regular season.
They currently possess a 7-7 record after losing five of their last six games. This includes consecutive home defeats in the space of five days to two division opponents who are eliminated from postseason contention.
Game Summary
The Buccaneers started 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 matchup with just a single score all year, hauled in his initial pair of touchdowns.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 lead early in the final quarter after QB Baker Mayfield threw touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Experienced signal-caller Kirk Cousins was making his fourth consecutive start after a season-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 career.
Tailback Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back possession with less than two minutes remaining.
And even after being backed up to a third and 28 after recovering his own fumble and a 10-yard infraction, Cousins made crucial passes 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 ended the day with 373 passing yards and three scoring passes to Pitts, who collected 166 receiving 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 lead the NFC South and are set to face the Buccaneers in two of their last 4 matchups. Only the team that wins the division is assured a postseason berth.
