The star tight end has now scored 14 scores since being selected as the number four overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Campaign: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts notched three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a late comeback to secure a last-gasp 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez booted a game-winning kick as time ran out, while Pitts etched his name as only the eighth tight end in NFL history to achieve three touchdown catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a single game.
After starting the year as one of the NFL's early-season pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the summit of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just three contests remaining in the regular campaign.
They currently possess a 7-7 record after suffering five of their previous six outings. This includes consecutive home defeats in the span of five days to two division opponents who are eliminated from play-off the race.
Game Recap
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons took a 14-13 lead at half-time. This followed Pitts, who entered Thursday's matchup with just one touchdown all year, hauled in his initial pair of scores.
The Buccaneers then surged into a 28-14 lead early in the fourth quarter after quarterback Baker Mayfield connected on touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Experienced signal-caller Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth consecutive start after a year-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The veteran proceeded to guide the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter comeback of his illustrious career.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts completed his three-touchdown game. Atlanta then regained the ball with less than two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being backed up to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a 10-yard infraction, Cousins completed key throws to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to position 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 scoring throws to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from 11 catches.
Postseason Implications
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 2 of their last four matchups. Only the team that wins the division is assured a postseason berth.
