Kyle Pitts Hat-Trick Powers Atlanta Remarkable Fightback Victory Against Buccaneers.
The star tight end has now scored 14 scores since being drafted as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Campaign: The fifteenth week
Kyle Pitts notched three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a late rally to snatch a last-gasp 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Placekicker Zane Gonzalez booted a clutch field goal as time ran out, while Pitts became only the eighth tight end in league 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 early-season leaders, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the top of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just 3 games left in the regular season.
They now hold a 7-7 record after suffering 5 of their previous six games. This includes back-to-back home defeats in the span of 5 days to two division opponents who are eliminated from play-off the race.
Contest Recap
The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons held a 14-13 advantage at the intermission. This came after Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just a single score all season, hauled in his initial pair of scores.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth period after quarterback Baker Mayfield connected on touchdown throws to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was making his fourth straight start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old then led the Falcons to the 32nd final period comeback of his illustrious NFL tenure.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts secured his hat-trick. Atlanta subsequently won back possession with less than two minutes left on the clock.
And despite being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a ten-yard penalty, Cousins made crucial passes to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to get the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to drill a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins ended the day with 373 yards through the air and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who collected 166 receiving yards from eleven catches.
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 two of their last four matchups. Only the division winner is assured a postseason spot.
