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 Campaign: Week 15
Kyle Pitts scored three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a late comeback to secure 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 became only the 8th tight end in NFL history to record three receiving catches and over 150 receiving yards in a single contest.
After starting the year as one of the NFL's initial pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the top of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just three games remaining in the regular campaign.
They currently possess a 7-7 mark after losing five of their previous six games. This includes back-to-back home-field losses in the span of 5 days to two divisional rivals who are eliminated from play-off contention.
Game Recap
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons held a 14-13 lead at the intermission. This followed Pitts, who came into Thursday's matchup with just one touchdown all year, hauled in his first two touchdowns.
The home team then surged into a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth quarter after QB Baker Mayfield connected on touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was making 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 thirty-second fourth-quarter comeback of his illustrious career.
Running back Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back the ball with under two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being backed up to a third and 28 after a fumble recovery and a ten-yard infraction, Cousins made key passes to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to position the Falcons in 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 receiving yards from eleven receptions.
Postseason Implications
Atlanta improved to 5-9, and their surprise victory of Tampa Bay greatly helped the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now lead the NFC South and are set to face the Buccaneers in 2 of their final 4 games. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a play-off berth.
