The star tight end has now recorded 14 scores since being selected as the fourth 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 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted a game-winning kick as time ran out, while Pitts became only the eighth tight end in NFL history to record three receiving catches and over 150 yards through the air in a single contest.
After beginning the season as one of the NFL's initial leaders, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the summit of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just three contests left in the regular campaign.
They now hold a 7-7 mark after suffering five of their previous six games. This includes consecutive home defeats in the space of five days to two division rivals who are out of postseason contention.
Game Recap
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons held a 14-13 lead at the intermission. This followed Pitts, who entered Thursday's matchup with just a single score all season, hauled in his initial pair of scores.
The Buccaneers subsequently raced into a 28-14 lead early in the fourth quarter after quarterback Baker Mayfield threw touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth straight 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 final period comeback of his distinguished NFL tenure.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts completed his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back possession with under two minutes remaining.
And even after being backed up to a third and 28 after a fumble recovery and a ten-yard penalty, Cousins completed crucial passes to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to get the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins finished with 373 yards through the air and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 receiving yards from 11 receptions.
Playoff Implications
Atlanta improved to 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 last four games. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a postseason berth.
