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National Football League 2025 Campaign: Week 15

Kyle Pitts notched three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a late rally to snatch a nail-biting 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Kicker Zane Gonzalez converted a clutch kick as time ran out, while Pitts etched his name as only the eighth tight end in league history to record three receiving catches and more than 150 yards through the air in a single game.

After beginning the season as one of the NFL's initial pacesetters, the Buccaneers have now dropped 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 mark after suffering five of their last six outings. This includes consecutive home losses in the span of five days to two divisional rivals who are eliminated from postseason the race.

Contest Summary

The Buccaneers opened the scoring with a Sean Tucker touchdown before the Falcons took a 14-13 lead at half-time. This followed Pitts, who came into Thursday's matchup with just a single touchdown all season, hauled in his first two scores.

The Buccaneers then surged into a 28-14 advantage early in the final period after QB Baker Mayfield threw scoring passes to Devin Culp and Chris Godwin Jr.

Veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins was making his fourth straight start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The veteran then led the Falcons to the 32nd final period rally of his illustrious career.

Tailback Bijan Robinson got into the end zone before Pitts completed his three-touchdown game. Atlanta subsequently won back possession 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 10-yard infraction, Cousins made crucial throws to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to position the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard game winner.

Cousins finished with 373 passing yards and three touchdown throws to Pitts, who collected 166 receiving yards from 11 catches.

Postseason Ramifications

Atlanta improved to 5-9, and their upset of Tampa Bay greatly helped the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now lead the NFC South and will face the Buccaneers in 2 of their final 4 games. Only the team that wins the division is assured a postseason spot.