The star tight end has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Season: Week 15
Kyle Pitts notched three scores as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a dramatic comeback to secure a nail-biting 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 NFL history to record three touchdown catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a same contest.
After starting the year as one of the NFL's early-season pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the top of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just three contests left in the regular campaign.
They now hold a 7-7 mark after losing 5 of their previous six games. This includes consecutive home-field losses in the space of five days to two divisional rivals who are out of postseason contention.
Contest Summary
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons took a 14-13 lead at half-time. This came after Pitts, who came into Thursday's matchup with just one touchdown all season, hauled in his first two scores.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the final period after QB Baker Mayfield threw scoring throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was making his fourth consecutive start after a year-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 comeback of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back possession with under two minutes remaining.
And even after being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after recovering his own fumble and a ten-yard infraction, Cousins completed crucial passes to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to position the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins ended the day with 373 yards through the air and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 receiving yards from eleven receptions.
Playoff Ramifications
Atlanta improved to 5-9, and their upset of Tampa Bay did a favour for the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now sit atop the NFC South and will face the Buccaneers in two of their final 4 matchups. Only the team that wins the division is assured a play-off spot.
