Pitts Three-Touchdown Performance Fuels Atlanta Stunning Fightback Win Over Buccaneers.
Kyle Pitts has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being selected as the number four overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Campaign: Week 15
Kyle Pitts registered three scores as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a dramatic comeback to secure a nail-biting 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez converted a clutch kick as time expired, while Pitts became only the 8th tight end in league history to achieve three receiving catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a same contest.
After beginning the season as one of the NFL's early-season pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the top of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just 3 contests remaining in the regular season.
They currently possess a 7-7 record after suffering five of their last six games. This includes back-to-back home defeats in the space of 5 days to two division opponents who are eliminated from postseason contention.
Contest Summary
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons took a 14-13 advantage at the intermission. This came after Pitts, who came into Thursday's game with just one touchdown all year, hauled in his initial pair of scores.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 lead early in the final quarter after QB Baker Mayfield threw touchdown throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran quarterback 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 proceeded to guide the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter rally of his distinguished NFL tenure.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta then regained possession with under two minutes left on the clock.
And despite being backed up to a third and 28 after recovering his own fumble and a 10-yard infraction, Cousins made crucial throws to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to position the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins ended the day with 373 yards through the air and three scoring throws to Pitts, who amassed 166 receiving yards from 11 catches.
Playoff Implications
Atlanta is now 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 two of their last four games. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a postseason spot.