The star tight end has now scored 14 scores since being drafted as the number four overall pick in the 2021 selection process.
NFL 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts scored three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a late comeback to snatch a last-gasp 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez booted a game-winning kick as time ran out, while Pitts became only the eighth tight end in NFL history to achieve three receiving catches and more than 150 yards through the air in a same game.
After starting the season as one of the NFL's initial leaders, the Buccaneers have now dropped 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 mark after losing five of their previous six outings. This includes consecutive home losses in the span of five days to two divisional rivals who are eliminated from postseason the race.
Game Recap
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons held a 14-13 advantage at the intermission. This came after Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just one score all year, hauled in his initial pair of scores.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the final quarter after quarterback Baker Mayfield threw touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was making his fourth consecutive start after a season-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 secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta then regained possession with less than two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being backed up to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a ten-yard infraction, Cousins completed crucial passes to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to get the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who collected 166 yards from eleven catches.
Playoff Implications
Atlanta is now 5-9, and their surprise victory 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 2 of their final four games. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a postseason berth.
