Pitts Three-Touchdown Performance Powers Falcons Stunning Comeback Victory Over Buccaneers.
Kyle Pitts has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being drafted as the number four overall pick in the 2021 selection process.
NFL 2025 Campaign: Week 15
Kyle Pitts scored three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a dramatic comeback to snatch a nail-biting 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez converted a clutch field goal as time ran out, while Pitts became only the 8th tight end in NFL history to record three touchdown catches and over 150 yards through the air in a single contest.
After starting the year 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 contests remaining in the regular season.
They now hold a 7-7 mark after losing five of their previous six games. This includes consecutive home-field losses in the span of five days to two division opponents who are out of play-off contention.
Game Recap
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons took a 14-13 advantage at the intermission. This followed Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just a single score all season, claimed his initial pair of touchdowns.
The home team then surged into a 28-14 lead early in the final quarter after quarterback Baker Mayfield threw touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was making his fourth consecutive 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 comeback of his distinguished career.
Running back Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back the ball with under two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after recovering his own fumble and a 10-yard infraction, Cousins completed key passes to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to get 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 scoring throws to Pitts, who collected 166 receiving yards from eleven receptions.
Playoff Implications
Atlanta is now 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 last four matchups. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a play-off spot.
