Kyle Pitts Reflects on Historic 3-TD Game After Falcons' Stunning Comeback vs. Bucs

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts commented Thursday after delivering a career game in a 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Pitts finished with 11 receptions for 166 yards and three touchdowns, making him the first NFL tight end with at least 150 yards and three touchdowns in a game since Denver Broncos legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe in 1996, per ESPN Research (h/t ESPN's Marc Raimondi).

Regarding the fact that he joined elite company with his performance, Pitts said, "It means a lot. [Sharpe] is a great person to be behind, or beside now. Just want to keep competing and just put another one on tape."

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Originally selected fourth overall in the 2021 NFL draft out of Florida, Pitts was widely expected to become a perennial Pro Bowler and All-Pro.

Pitts did earn a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie when he finished with 1,026 receiving yards, but he hasn't come close to reaching that total since then.

Injuries limited Pitts to 10 games in 2022, and he proceeded to post somewhat pedestrian numbers in 2023 and 2024, failing to reach the 700-yard mark in either season despite his supreme athletic ability.

Pitts is trending toward the best season of his career in 2025, though, with a career-high 73 receptions to go along with 797 yards and four touchdowns through 14 games.

That hasn't led to much winning for the Falcons, who have already been eliminated from the playoffs with a 5-9 record, but Pitts suggested that it hasn't stopped the team from putting its best foot forward.

"We've been having our ups and downs through the year," Pitts said. "Obviously, it's not fun to be eliminated early. But we're resilient. The team we have, we're just tight together, tight-knit. And we fight for each other. At this point, we're just playing for each other. As we were before, now it's just more enhanced. It was pretty fun to get that win."

Overall team success notwithstanding, Pitts is hitting his stride at the ideal time as it relates to his NFL future.

Pitts is set to become a free agent this coming offseason, and at just 25 years old, he is in line to cash in with a huge contract, whether it is with Atlanta or another team.

Consistency has been an issue for Pitts throughout his career, but he proved Thursday that he can be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses, and there is little doubt that some team is willing to pay big money for a tight end with his skill set.