The star tight end has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being drafted as the number four overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Season: Week 15
Kyle Pitts notched three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a late comeback to secure a nail-biting 29-28 triumph over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez converted a game-winning field goal as time expired, while Pitts etched his name as only the eighth tight end in league history to achieve three receiving catches and over 150 yards through the air 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 season.
They now hold a 7-7 mark after losing 5 of their previous six games. This features back-to-back home losses in the span of 5 days to two divisional opponents who are eliminated from postseason the race.
Contest Recap
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons took a 14-13 lead at half-time. This came after Pitts, who entered Thursday's matchup with just a single touchdown all year, hauled in his initial pair of touchdowns.
The Buccaneers then surged into a 28-14 lead early in the fourth period after quarterback Baker Mayfield connected on touchdown throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth consecutive start after a year-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old then led the Falcons to the 32nd final period rally of his illustrious career.
Tailback Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts secured his hat-trick. Atlanta subsequently won back possession with under two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a ten-yard infraction, Cousins made key passes 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 yards through the air and three scoring passes to Pitts, who collected 166 receiving yards from 11 catches.
Postseason Ramifications
Atlanta is now 5-9, and their upset of Tampa Bay greatly helped the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now lead the NFC South and will face the Buccaneers in 2 of their final 4 games. Only the division winner is guaranteed a play-off spot.
