The star tight end has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being drafted as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Campaign: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts scored three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a late comeback to snatch a nail-biting 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez converted a clutch kick as time expired, while Pitts became only the eighth tight end in league history to achieve three touchdown catches and more than 150 yards through the air in a single game.
After starting the season as one of the NFL's early-season leaders, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the top of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just three games left in the regular season.
They currently possess a 7-7 record after suffering 5 of their previous six games. This features back-to-back home defeats in the space of five days to two divisional rivals who are eliminated from play-off the race.
Game Summary
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons took a 14-13 lead at half-time. This followed Pitts, who came into Thursday's matchup with just one touchdown all season, hauled in his initial pair of scores.
The home team then surged 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 signal-caller Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth consecutive start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The veteran then led the Falcons to the 32nd fourth-quarter comeback of his distinguished career.
Tailback Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts secured his hat-trick. Atlanta then regained the ball with under two minutes remaining.
And even after being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after recovering his own fumble and a 10-yard infraction, Cousins made key passes to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to position the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three scoring passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from 11 catches.
Postseason Ramifications
Atlanta improved to 5-9, and their surprise victory of Tampa Bay greatly helped the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now lead the NFC South and will face the Buccaneers in two of their final 4 games. Only the team that wins the division is assured a postseason berth.
