The star tight end has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being drafted as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts notched three scores as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a late rally to snatch a last-gasp 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted a clutch kick as time expired, while Pitts became only the 8th tight end in NFL history to achieve three receiving catches and over 150 receiving yards in a single contest.
After starting the season as one of the NFL's early-season leaders, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the summit of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just three contests remaining in the regular season.
They now hold a 7-7 mark after suffering 5 of their previous six games. This includes back-to-back home losses in the span of five days to two divisional rivals who are out of postseason contention.
Game Recap
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons held a 14-13 lead at the intermission. This came after Pitts, who came into Thursday's matchup with just one touchdown all season, claimed his first two touchdowns.
The Buccaneers subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the final period after QB Baker Mayfield threw scoring passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Experienced 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 proceeded to guide the Falcons to the thirty-second final period comeback of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts completed his three-touchdown game. Atlanta then regained possession with under two minutes remaining.
And despite being backed up to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a 10-yard penalty, Cousins completed crucial passes to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to get the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 receiving yards from eleven catches.
Playoff Ramifications
Atlanta is now 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 will face the Buccaneers in two of their final 4 games. Only the division winner is assured a postseason berth.
