The star tight end has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being drafted as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 selection process.
National Football League 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts registered three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a late comeback to snatch a nail-biting 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted a game-winning kick as time expired, while Pitts became only the eighth tight end in league history to record three touchdown catches and over 150 yards through the air in a same contest.
After starting the season as one of the NFL's initial leaders, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the top of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just 3 contests remaining in the regular season.
They now hold a 7-7 record after losing 5 of their previous six outings. This includes back-to-back home defeats in the space of five days to two divisional opponents who are out of play-off contention.
Contest Summary
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons held a 14-13 lead at the intermission. This came after Pitts, who entered Thursday's matchup with just one touchdown all year, hauled in his initial pair of touchdowns.
The Buccaneers then surged into a 28-14 advantage early in the final period after quarterback Baker Mayfield connected on touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth straight start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The veteran then led the Falcons to the 32nd fourth-quarter comeback of his illustrious career.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts secured his hat-trick. Atlanta subsequently won back possession with under two minutes left on the clock.
And despite being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a 10-yard infraction, Cousins made key throws to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to position the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three scoring passes to Pitts, who collected 166 receiving yards from eleven receptions.
Playoff 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 will face the Buccaneers in 2 of their final 4 games. Only the division winner is guaranteed a play-off berth.
