The Falcons tight end scored three touchdowns in Thursday's win against the Buccaneers.

Terrin Waack

TAMPA, Fla. Take a bow, Kyle Pitts Sr.

The Atlanta Falcons tight end caught 11 of his 12 targets for 166 yards and three touchdowns in Thursday's win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.

"That's great," Pitts said. "Love scoring, love contributing to this offense and this team. I'm glad I could help enough to get a win."

Pitts did more than enough.

Not only were all his marks career highs, Pitts' 166 receiving yards were the most by any tight end in a single game this season. His three receiving touchdowns tied for most in the same regard.

Even more so, Pitts is only the second player in NFL history to have at least 10 receptions for 150 yards and three touchdowns in a Thursday game.

"Kyle continues to be a great talent when it comes to his ability to separate and run," Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins said. "Obviously, he's a big frame, and Zac (Robinson, offensive coordinator) did a great job designing, especially on a short week, ways to get Kyle opportunities."

Pitts' first touchdown came in the second quarter. It was an 8-yard reception. Then, before halftime, he scored on a 17-yard reception. His third and final touchdown happened in the fourth quarter. It was a 7-yard reception that actually had to be reviewed. Officials needed to confirm Pitts was in-bounds for it to be a complete pass. He was.

Ultimately, it appeared as though Pitts landed on his rear-end before bouncing outside of the end zone.

"I definitely thought I got the second foot down," Pitts said. "I didn't know it was my (butt) cheek, but that helped a lot. The tight end gods. It's like last year. I kind of got away with one last year. But the tight ends gods. Just Lord, he let me get that third one in."

Although Pitts hadn't scored a touchdown since the Falcons' Week 4 win against the Washington Commanders, he has had an uptick in production these last three weeks. He had 82 yards receiving in the Falcons' Week 13 loss to the New York Jets and then 90 yards receiving in the Falcons' Week 14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. His previous receiving high had been 70 yards against the Commanders.

The Falcons needed Pitts to step up recently since leading wide receiver Drake London has been out for the last four games now due to a knee injury.

"It was the plan all along," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. "Kyle is our guy. You're down a couple of your guys like Drake, some of those guys, and Kyle has really filled in that role and become the lead dog guy.

"He has done an awesome job, and we talked about some the plays he didn't make even when he had some of these good games over the last couple weeks, but he made those plays tonight. He showed up in a major way. That was a big time play by him. Stuff that we expect."

Atlanta drafted Pitts with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He recorded 68 receptions for 1,026 yards and a touchdown as a rookie, really setting the bar high for himself early on in his career. In 2022, however, Pitts sustained a knee injury that despite surgery and recovery still hindered him in 2023 and remained bothersome in 2024.

Pitts is on his fifth-year option in 2025 and will therefore become a free agent in 2026. Performances like Thursday bode well for his future, whether that be in Atlanta or elsewhere. Not that he's thinking about that yet.

"I just stay in the present," Pitts said. "I worry about today. I got all day tomorrow, and I'll be worrying about that. I don't think too far past anything besides where my feet are and living in the moment."

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