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NFL 2025 Campaign: Week 15

Kyle Pitts registered three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons mounted a dramatic rally to snatch a nail-biting 29-28 triumph over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Placekicker Zane Gonzalez booted a game-winning field goal as time expired, while Pitts etched his name as only the 8th tight end in league history to achieve three receiving catches and over 150 yards through the air in a single game.

After beginning the year as one of the NFL's initial leaders, the Buccaneers have now dropped from the summit of the AFC South for the initial time in 2025, with just three games remaining in the regular campaign.

They currently possess a 7-7 mark after losing 5 of their previous six outings. This features back-to-back home losses in the span of 5 days to two divisional opponents who are eliminated from postseason contention.

Game Recap

The Buccaneers started the scoring with a Sean Tucker score before the Falcons held a 14-13 lead at the intermission. This came after Pitts, who came into Thursday's matchup with just a single score all season, claimed his initial pair of scores.

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

Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was starting his fourth consecutive start after a season-ending injury to Atlanta's primary quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The veteran proceeded to guide the Falcons to the thirty-second fourth-quarter comeback of his illustrious career.

Running back Bijan Robinson found the end zone before Pitts completed his hat-trick. Atlanta subsequently won back the ball with less than two minutes left on the clock.

And despite being backed up to a difficult third-down situation after a fumble recovery and a ten-yard infraction, Cousins completed key passes to Pitts and receiver David Sills V to get the Falcons in field goal range for Gonzalez to kick a 43-yard game winner.

Cousins finished with 373 yards through the air and three touchdown passes to Pitts, who collected 166 receiving yards from 11 catches.

Playoff Implications

Atlanta improved to 5-9, and their upset of Tampa Bay did a favour for the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers (7-6) now lead the NFC South and are set to face the Buccaneers in 2 of their final four matchups. Only the team that wins the division is guaranteed a play-off spot.