Pitts Hat-Trick Fuels Atlanta Remarkable Comeback Win Against Buccaneers.
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 Season: Week 15
Kyle Pitts notched three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a dramatic rally to snatch a nail-biting 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez converted a game-winning kick as time ran out, while Pitts became only the eighth tight end in NFL history to record three receiving catches and over 150 yards through the air in a same contest.
After starting the season as one of the NFL's initial leaders, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the top 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 suffering five of their previous six games. This includes back-to-back home defeats in the space of five 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 advantage at half-time. This came after Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just a single touchdown all year, hauled in his initial pair of scores.
The Buccaneers then surged into a 28-14 lead early in the final period after QB Baker Mayfield connected on touchdown passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Experienced signal-caller Kirk Cousins was making his fourth consecutive start after a year-ending injury to Atlanta's starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The veteran proceeded to guide the Falcons to the thirty-second final period comeback of his distinguished career.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. 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 infraction, Cousins made key throws to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to position the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three scoring passes to Pitts, who amassed 166 receiving 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 sit atop the NFC South and will face the Buccaneers in two of their final four games. Only the division winner is assured a postseason berth.