The star tight end has now recorded 14 scores since being drafted as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
NFL 2025 Season: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts scored three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a dramatic rally to secure a last-gasp 29-28 triumph over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez converted a clutch field goal as time expired, while Pitts etched his name as only the 8th tight end in NFL history to achieve three receiving catches and over 150 receiving yards in a same game.
After beginning the year as one of the NFL's initial pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the summit of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just three games remaining in the regular campaign.
They currently possess a 7-7 record after losing five of their last six outings. This features back-to-back home-field defeats in the span of 5 days to two division rivals who are eliminated from play-off the race.
Contest Recap
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons took a 14-13 advantage at the intermission. This followed Pitts, who came into Thursday's game with just a single score all season, hauled in his initial pair of touchdowns.
The Buccaneers subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth quarter after quarterback Baker Mayfield threw scoring passes 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 starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old proceeded to guide the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter rally of his distinguished NFL tenure.
Tailback Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts completed his three-touchdown game. Atlanta then regained the ball with under two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being pinned to a third and 28 after recovering his own fumble and a 10-yard penalty, Cousins made key 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 ended the day with 373 passing yards and three touchdown throws to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from eleven 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 sit atop the NFC South and are set to face the Buccaneers in two of their last 4 games. Only the division winner is assured a play-off berth.