The star tight end has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts registered three scores as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a late rally to snatch a last-gasp 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted a game-winning field goal as time expired, while Pitts etched his name as only the 8th tight end in league history to record three receiving catches and over 150 receiving yards in a single game.
After beginning the year as one of the NFL's initial pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the top of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just three games left in the regular season.
They now hold a 7-7 record after suffering five of their last six outings. This includes back-to-back home-field defeats in the space of 5 days to two divisional rivals who are out of postseason the race.
Contest Summary
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons took a 14-13 advantage at half-time. This came after Pitts, who came into Thursday's game with just a single score all year, claimed his initial pair of touchdowns.
The home team then surged into a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth period after QB Baker Mayfield threw scoring passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran 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 fourth-quarter rally of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Running back Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts completed his three-touchdown game. Atlanta then regained the ball with under two minutes left on the clock.
And despite being backed up to a third and 28 after recovering his own fumble and a ten-yard infraction, Cousins completed crucial passes 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 yards through the air and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from eleven catches.
Playoff Implications
Atlanta is now 5-9, and their surprise victory of Tampa Bay did a favour for the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now sit atop the NFC South and are set to face the Buccaneers in 2 of their final 4 matchups. Only the team that wins the division is assured a postseason spot.
