The star tight end has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being selected as the number four overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Campaign: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts notched three scores as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a late comeback to snatch a nail-biting 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez converted a clutch field goal as time expired, while Pitts etched his name as only the 8th tight end in league history to record three touchdown catches and over 150 receiving yards in a single game.
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 initial time in 2025, with just 3 contests remaining in the regular season.
They currently possess a 7-7 record after suffering 5 of their last six outings. This includes back-to-back home-field defeats in the span of five days to two divisional rivals who are out of play-off the race.
Contest Recap
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons held a 14-13 advantage at the intermission. This came after Pitts, who came into Thursday's game with just a single touchdown all season, hauled in his initial pair of scores.
The Buccaneers then surged into a 28-14 advantage early in the final period after quarterback Baker Mayfield threw touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins was making his fourth straight start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old then led the Falcons to the thirty-second final period rally of his illustrious career.
Running back Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back the ball with less than two minutes remaining.
And despite being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a 10-yard infraction, Cousins completed key throws to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to position the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins finished with 373 yards through the air and three scoring throws to Pitts, who collected 166 receiving yards from 11 catches.
Playoff Ramifications
Atlanta is now 5-9, and their surprise victory of Tampa Bay greatly helped 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 4 matchups. Only the team that wins the division is assured a play-off spot.
