Kyle Pitts Hat-Trick Powers Atlanta Stunning Fightback Win Against Tampa Bay.
The star tight end has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being drafted as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 selection process.
National Football League 2025 Season: Week 15
Kyle Pitts notched three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a late comeback to secure a nail-biting 29-28 triumph over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted a clutch kick as time ran out, while Pitts became only the eighth tight end in NFL history to achieve three receiving catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a same game.
After beginning the season as one of the NFL's initial pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the summit of the AFC South for the first time in 2025, with just three contests left in the regular campaign.
They currently possess a 7-7 mark after losing five of their last six games. This includes back-to-back home-field losses in the space of five days to two division rivals who are eliminated from play-off the race.
Contest Recap
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons held a 14-13 lead at the intermission. This followed Pitts, who came into Thursday's game with just one score all season, hauled in his first two scores.
The home team subsequently raced into a 28-14 advantage early in the final quarter after QB Baker Mayfield threw scoring passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth straight start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The 37-year-old then led the Falcons to the thirty-second final period rally of his distinguished NFL tenure.
Running back Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts completed his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back the ball with less than two minutes remaining.
And even after being pinned to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a ten-yard infraction, Cousins made crucial passes to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to position the Falcons in range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard game winner.
Cousins ended the day with 373 passing yards and three touchdown passes 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 final four matchups. Only the team that wins the division is assured a postseason berth.
