The star tight end has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being drafted as the number four overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts notched three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a dramatic rally to secure a nail-biting 29-28 win 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 receiving catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a single game.
After beginning the season as one of the NFL's early-season leaders, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the summit of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just 3 contests remaining in the regular season.
They now hold a 7-7 mark after suffering 5 of their previous six outings. This features consecutive home-field defeats in the space of 5 days to two division rivals who are out of postseason contention.
Game Summary
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons took a 14-13 advantage at half-time. This came after Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just one touchdown all year, claimed his first two scores.
The Buccaneers subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth period after QB Baker Mayfield connected on scoring passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins was making his fourth consecutive start after a year-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The veteran then led the Falcons to the 32nd fourth-quarter rally of his illustrious NFL tenure.
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 even after being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a ten-yard infraction, Cousins made key throws to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to get the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three touchdown throws to Pitts, who collected 166 yards from eleven catches.
Postseason Ramifications
Atlanta improved to 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 will face the Buccaneers in 2 of their last four matchups. Only the team that wins the division is assured a postseason spot.
