The star tight end has now scored 14 touchdowns since being selected as the number four overall pick in the 2021 selection process.
National Football League 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts registered three scores as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a late rally to secure a last-gasp 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez converted a game-winning field goal 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 same game.
After starting the season as one of the NFL's initial pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the top of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just three contests left in the regular season.
They currently possess a 7-7 mark after losing five of their previous six games. This includes consecutive home-field defeats in the space of 5 days to two division rivals who are eliminated from postseason the race.
Game Summary
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons held a 14-13 lead at half-time. This followed Pitts, who came into Thursday's game with just a single score all season, hauled in his first two touchdowns.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth period after quarterback Baker Mayfield connected on scoring passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Experienced quarterback 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 then led the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter rally of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back the ball with less than two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being backed up to a third and 28 after a fumble recovery and a 10-yard infraction, Cousins completed crucial throws to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to position the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins finished with 373 yards through the air and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 receiving yards from 11 catches.
Postseason Ramifications
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 two of their final four games. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a play-off berth.
