Pitts Hat-Trick Fuels Atlanta Remarkable Comeback Victory Over Tampa Bay.
Kyle Pitts has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 selection process.
NFL 2025 Campaign: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts scored three scores as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a dramatic rally to snatch a last-gasp 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted a clutch kick as time expired, while Pitts became only the eighth tight end in league history to record three touchdown catches and more than 150 yards through the air in a same game.
After beginning the season as one of the NFL's initial leaders, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the top of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just three contests remaining in the regular season.
They currently possess a 7-7 mark after suffering 5 of their previous six games. This features back-to-back home losses in the space of 5 days to two divisional opponents who are out of postseason contention.
Contest Summary
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons held a 14-13 lead at half-time. This followed Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just one score all season, claimed his first two scores.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the final period after QB Baker Mayfield threw touchdown throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was starting 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 illustrious NFL tenure.
Tailback Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts completed his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back possession with less than two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being backed up to a difficult third-down situation after recovering his own fumble and a ten-yard penalty, Cousins made crucial passes to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to position the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three scoring passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from 11 receptions.
Postseason Implications
Atlanta improved to 5-9, and their upset 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 games. Only the division winner is assured a play-off berth.
