The star tight end has now scored 14 scores since being drafted as the number four overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts registered three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a dramatic rally to secure a nail-biting 29-28 win 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 receiving catches and more than 150 yards through the air in a same contest.
After starting the season as one of the NFL's early-season leaders, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the summit of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just three games remaining in the regular season.
They currently possess a 7-7 mark after suffering five of their previous six outings. This features back-to-back home defeats in the space of five days to two division opponents who are eliminated from play-off the race.
Contest Recap
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons took a 14-13 lead at the intermission. This followed Pitts, who came into Thursday's game with just a single touchdown all year, hauled in his initial pair of touchdowns.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the final period after quarterback Baker Mayfield threw scoring throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Experienced quarterback Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth straight start after a season-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 career.
Tailback Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts completed his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back the ball with under two minutes left on the clock.
And despite being backed up to a difficult third-down situation after recovering his own fumble and a ten-yard penalty, Cousins completed crucial passes to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to position the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins finished with 373 yards through the air and three scoring passes to Pitts, who collected 166 receiving yards from 11 catches.
Postseason Implications
Atlanta improved to 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 last four matchups. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a play-off spot.
