Pitts Three-Touchdown Performance Powers Falcons Remarkable Fightback Victory Against Buccaneers.
Kyle Pitts has now scored 14 touchdowns since being selected as the number four overall pick in the 2021 selection process.
National Football League 2025 Campaign: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts notched three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a dramatic comeback to snatch a nail-biting 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez booted a clutch kick as time expired, while Pitts became only the eighth tight end in league history to achieve three receiving catches and over 150 yards through the air in a single game.
After beginning 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 first time in 2025, with just 3 games left in the regular season.
They now hold a 7-7 mark after losing five of their previous six games. This includes back-to-back home-field losses in the space of 5 days to two divisional rivals who are out of postseason contention.
Game Summary
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons held a 14-13 advantage at the intermission. This came after Pitts, who came into Thursday's matchup with just one score all season, claimed his initial pair of scores.
The home team then surged into a 28-14 lead early in the fourth period after QB Baker Mayfield connected on scoring passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth straight start after a year-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old then led the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter rally of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta then regained the ball with less than two minutes remaining.
And even after being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a ten-yard penalty, Cousins completed key passes to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to get the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins finished with 373 yards through the air and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who collected 166 yards from eleven receptions.
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 2 of their last four games. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a postseason spot.
