The star tight end 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 notched three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a late rally to secure a nail-biting 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez booted a clutch kick as time ran out, while Pitts etched his name as only the 8th tight end in league history to record three receiving catches and more than 150 yards through the air in a same game.
After starting the year as one of the NFL's early-season pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the summit of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just three games left in the regular campaign.
They currently possess a 7-7 mark after losing 5 of their last six games. This features back-to-back home defeats in the space of 5 days to two division opponents who are out of play-off contention.
Game Recap
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons took a 14-13 lead at the intermission. This followed Pitts, who entered Thursday's matchup with just one touchdown all year, hauled in his initial pair of scores.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth quarter after QB Baker Mayfield threw scoring throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Experienced quarterback Kirk Cousins was making his fourth straight start after a year-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The veteran then led the Falcons to the thirty-second final period rally of his distinguished career.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts secured his hat-trick. Atlanta then regained the ball with under 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 made crucial throws to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to get the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins ended the day with 373 yards through the air and three scoring passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from 11 receptions.
Postseason Implications
Atlanta is now 5-9, and their upset of Tampa Bay greatly helped the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now sit atop the NFC South and will face the Buccaneers in 2 of their last 4 games. Only the team that wins the division is assured a play-off spot.
