Kyle Pitts Three-Touchdown Performance Fuels Atlanta Remarkable Comeback Win Over Tampa Bay.
Kyle Pitts has now scored 14 scores since being selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 selection process.
National Football League 2025 Campaign: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts scored three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a dramatic rally to secure a nail-biting 29-28 triumph over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez booted a clutch field goal as time ran out, while Pitts became only the 8th tight end in league history to record three touchdown catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a same contest.
After starting the season as one of the NFL's initial leaders, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the summit of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just three contests remaining in the regular campaign.
They now hold a 7-7 record after losing five of their previous six outings. This includes back-to-back home losses in the span of five days to two divisional rivals who are eliminated from postseason contention.
Game Recap
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons held a 14-13 advantage at half-time. This came after Pitts, who entered Thursday's matchup with just a single score all year, claimed his first two scores.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 lead early in the final quarter after quarterback Baker Mayfield threw scoring passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth straight 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 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 possession with less than two minutes left on the clock.
And despite being pinned to a third and 28 after a fumble recovery and a 10-yard infraction, Cousins made crucial passes to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to get the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins ended the day with 373 yards through the air and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from 11 receptions.
Postseason Implications
Atlanta is now 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 4 games. Only the team that wins the division is assured a postseason berth.
