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Friday, October 9, 2026
Summit Palace Zone

Kyle Pitts Hat-Trick Fuels Falcons Remarkable Fightback Win Against Buccaneers.

The Falcons tight end in action during the game.

The star tight end has now recorded 14 touchdowns since being selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft.

NFL 2025 Season: Week 15

Kyle Pitts registered three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons engineered a late comeback to snatch a last-gasp 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted a game-winning field goal as time expired, while Pitts became only the 8th tight end in NFL history to achieve three touchdown catches and more than 150 receiving yards in a single contest.

After beginning the year as one of the NFL's early-season pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now fallen from the summit of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just 3 contests remaining in the regular campaign.

They now hold a 7-7 record after suffering 5 of their previous six outings. This features back-to-back home losses in the span of five days to two divisional opponents who are out of 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 half-time. This followed Pitts, who entered Thursday's game with just one score all season, claimed his first two scores.

The Buccaneers then surged into a 28-14 lead early in the fourth quarter after QB Baker Mayfield connected on scoring throws 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 32nd final period rally of his illustrious NFL tenure.

Tailback Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts secured his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back possession with under two minutes left on the clock.

And even after being backed up to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a 10-yard penalty, Cousins made key throws to Pitts and wideout David Sills V to get the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard winning field goal.

Cousins finished 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 lead the NFC South and are set to face the Buccaneers in 2 of their last four games. Only the division winner is assured a play-off berth.

DH
About the author

Deanna Henderson

Elara Vance is a seasoned travel writer and luxury lifestyle expert, specializing in mountain resorts and adventure destinations across Europe.

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