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: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts scored three scores as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a dramatic rally to secure a last-gasp 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted a game-winning kick as time expired, while Pitts etched his name as only the eighth tight end in league history to achieve three touchdown catches and over 150 receiving yards in a same game.
After starting the season 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 left in the regular campaign.
They now hold a 7-7 record after losing 5 of their previous six outings. This includes back-to-back home-field defeats in the space of five days to two divisional rivals who are eliminated from postseason contention.
Game Summary
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons held a 14-13 lead at half-time. This came after Pitts, who came into Thursday's matchup with just one score all year, hauled in his initial pair of scores.
The Buccaneers then surged into a 28-14 advantage early in the final quarter after QB Baker Mayfield connected on touchdown throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins was making his fourth straight start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old then led the Falcons to the 32nd fourth-quarter rally of his illustrious career.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts completed his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back the ball with less than two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being pinned to a third and 28 after recovering his own fumble and a ten-yard infraction, Cousins completed crucial throws to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to get the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins ended the day with 373 passing yards 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 sit atop the NFC South and will face the Buccaneers in 2 of their final four matchups. Only the team that wins the division is assured a play-off spot.
