Kyle Pitts has now recorded 14 scores since being drafted as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
NFL 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts scored three scores as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a late comeback to secure a last-gasp 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez booted a clutch kick as time expired, while Pitts etched his name as only the eighth tight end in league history to record three receiving catches and over 150 receiving yards in a single game.
After starting the season as one of the NFL's initial leaders, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the summit of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just 3 games left in the regular season.
They now hold a 7-7 record after losing five of their last six games. This features back-to-back home-field defeats in the span of five days to two divisional opponents who are eliminated from postseason the race.
Contest Summary
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons took a 14-13 advantage at half-time. This came after Pitts, who came into Thursday's matchup with just one touchdown all season, hauled in his initial pair of touchdowns.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the final period after QB Baker Mayfield threw touchdown throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran 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 fourth-quarter comeback of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Tailback Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts completed his hat-trick. Atlanta then regained the ball with less than two minutes remaining.
And despite being backed up to a difficult third-down situation after recovering his own fumble and a 10-yard penalty, Cousins completed crucial passes to Pitts and wideout 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 touchdown throws to Pitts, who collected 166 yards from eleven receptions.
Playoff Implications
Atlanta improved to 5-9, and their upset of Tampa Bay did a favour for the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now lead the NFC South and will face the Buccaneers in two of their final four games. Only the team that wins the division is assured a play-off spot.
