Pitts Hat-Trick Fuels Atlanta Stunning Fightback Win Against Buccaneers.
The star tight end has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 selection process.
National Football League 2025 Campaign: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts scored three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a dramatic rally to snatch a last-gasp 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez converted a game-winning field goal as time ran out, while Pitts became only the eighth tight end in NFL history to record three touchdown catches and more than 150 yards through the air in a single game.
After beginning the year 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 games left in the regular campaign.
They currently possess a 7-7 mark after losing 5 of their previous six outings. This features back-to-back home-field losses in the space of 5 days to two divisional opponents who are eliminated from postseason the race.
Contest Summary
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons took a 14-13 lead at the intermission. This came after Pitts, who came into Thursday's game with just one touchdown all year, claimed his first two touchdowns.
The Buccaneers subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth quarter after quarterback Baker Mayfield threw touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth straight start after a season-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 NFL tenure.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts secured his hat-trick. Atlanta then regained the ball with under two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a ten-yard penalty, Cousins made key passes to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to get the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard winning field goal.
Cousins ended the day with 373 passing yards and three scoring throws to Pitts, who amassed 166 yards from eleven receptions.
Postseason Ramifications
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 two of their final four matchups. Only the team that wins the division is assured a postseason berth.
