Kyle Pitts Three-Touchdown Performance Powers Atlanta Stunning Comeback Victory Against Buccaneers.
Kyle Pitts has now scored 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 registered three scores as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a dramatic 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 became only the 8th tight end in NFL history to record three touchdown catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a single game.
After beginning the season as one of the NFL's initial leaders, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the top of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just 3 contests left in the regular campaign.
They now hold a 7-7 record after suffering five of their previous six games. This features back-to-back home losses in the space of 5 days to two divisional opponents who are eliminated from play-off contention.
Contest Recap
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons took a 14-13 lead at half-time. This followed Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just one touchdown all season, hauled in his first two touchdowns.
The Buccaneers then surged into a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth period after QB Baker Mayfield threw scoring throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Experienced signal-caller Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth straight start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The veteran proceeded to guide the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter rally of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Running back Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts completed his hat-trick. Atlanta then regained the ball with less than two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being backed up to a third and 28 after recovering his own fumble and a ten-yard penalty, Cousins completed crucial passes to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to position the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins finished with 373 yards through the air and three touchdown throws to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from 11 receptions.
Postseason Ramifications
Atlanta is now 5-9, and their upset of Tampa Bay greatly helped the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now lead the NFC South and will face the Buccaneers in 2 of their last four games. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a play-off spot.
