The star tight end has now scored 14 touchdowns since being selected as the number four overall pick in the 2021 draft.
NFL 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts notched three scores as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a dramatic rally to snatch a last-gasp 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez converted a game-winning kick as time ran out, while Pitts etched his name as only the 8th tight end in league history to record three touchdown catches and over 150 yards through the air in a same game.
After beginning the season as one of the NFL's initial pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the top of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just three games remaining in the regular season.
They currently possess a 7-7 mark after suffering 5 of their previous six outings. This includes back-to-back home-field defeats in the space of five days to two division rivals who are out of play-off the race.
Contest Recap
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons took a 14-13 advantage at the intermission. This came after Pitts, who entered Thursday's matchup with just a single touchdown all season, hauled in his initial pair of touchdowns.
The home team then surged into a 28-14 lead early in the final period after quarterback Baker Mayfield threw touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth consecutive start after a year-ending injury to Atlanta's starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old then led 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 completed his three-touchdown game. Atlanta then regained possession with less than two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being pinned to a third and 28 after recovering his own fumble and a 10-yard penalty, Cousins completed crucial throws to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to get the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three touchdown throws to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from 11 receptions.
Playoff Implications
Atlanta improved to 5-9, and their upset of Tampa Bay greatly helped the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now sit atop the NFC South and are set to face the Buccaneers in 2 of their last four matchups. Only the division winner is guaranteed a play-off berth.
