Kyle Pitts Hat-Trick Fuels Falcons Remarkable Comeback Win Over Buccaneers.
Kyle Pitts has now scored 14 scores since being selected as the number four overall pick in the 2021 draft.
National Football League 2025 Campaign: Week 15
Kyle Pitts notched three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a dramatic rally to secure a last-gasp 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted a clutch field goal as time ran out, while Pitts etched his name as only the 8th tight end in league history to achieve three touchdown catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a same game.
After beginning the season as one of the NFL's early-season pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now dropped 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 record after suffering five of their previous six games. This includes back-to-back home-field defeats in the space of five days to two divisional rivals who are eliminated from postseason contention.
Contest Recap
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons took a 14-13 lead at half-time. This came after Pitts, who entered Thursday's matchup with just a single score all year, claimed his first two touchdowns.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the final period after quarterback Baker Mayfield connected on scoring passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth straight 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 fourth-quarter comeback of his distinguished career.
Running back Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts completed his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back possession with less than two minutes left on the clock.
And even after being backed up to a third and 28 after recovering his own fumble and a ten-yard infraction, Cousins made crucial 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 yards through the air and three scoring throws to Pitts, who amassed 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 are set to face the Buccaneers in 2 of their last four matchups. Only the team that wins the division is assured a play-off berth.