The star tight end has now scored 14 touchdowns since being drafted as the number four overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Season: Week 15
Kyle Pitts scored three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a late rally to snatch a last-gasp 29-28 triumph over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted a game-winning field goal as time ran out, while Pitts etched his name as only the eighth tight end in NFL history to record three receiving catches and more than 150 yards through the air in a single contest.
After beginning the season as one of the NFL's early-season pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the top of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just 3 games left in the regular campaign.
They now hold a 7-7 record after losing five of their last six games. This includes back-to-back home defeats in the space of five days to two divisional rivals who are out of play-off contention.
Contest Summary
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons held a 14-13 advantage at the intermission. This came after Pitts, who entered Thursday's matchup with just one touchdown all season, hauled in his initial pair of touchdowns.
The Buccaneers subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the final period after QB Baker Mayfield threw touchdown throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Experienced quarterback Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth consecutive start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old proceeded to guide the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter comeback of his illustrious career.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back the ball with under two minutes remaining.
And even after being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a 10-yard penalty, Cousins made crucial passes to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to get the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 receiving yards from eleven catches.
Playoff Ramifications
Atlanta is now 5-9, and their upset 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 two of their final four matchups. Only the team that wins the division is assured a play-off berth.
