The Atlanta Falcons have had a rough go season after since losing to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl back in 2017. Each year, there is hope in Atlanta that the NFL Draft will bring in top-tier players who can be difference makers for the Falcons. One player fans were extremely hopeful about was Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts.
Pitts has shown a lot of promise in his time with the Falcons, but he certainly has not lived up to all of the hope fans had in him. Well, that has certainly changed this year, and it certainly made the difference in the Falcons' Thursday Night Football game vs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The former Gators have a record performance against the Bucs on Thursday Night Football, helping lead the comeback in a thrilling 29-28 win for the Falcons. Pitts finished with 11 receptions for 166 yards and three touchdowns, which was key for the Falcons to pull off the comeback.
Kyle Pitts Sr. is the first tight end with 150 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a game since Shannon Sharpe in 1996 Week 6 against the Chargers 😳 pic.twitter.com/JImWYWNK7f
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) December 12, 2025
This performance by Pitts is even more special as he is the first tight end since Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe in 1996 to have over 150 receiving yards and three touchdowns in one game. Sharpe did it with the Denver Broncos against the San Diego Chargers in Week 6 of that season.
When Sharpe achieved that feat, it should be noted that Pitts, who is 25 years old, was not even born yet. Pitts reaching this achievement in this game meant even more because he was getting to do it in the state of Alma Mater.
"Man, I love the state of Florida,” Pitts said in his post-game press conference
Quarterback Kirk Cousins targeted Pitts a team-high 12 times against the Bucs as the Falcons were without star wide receiver Drake London. In the fourth quarter, Atlanta was down 14 points, but Pitts's ability to score effectively in the game helped cut the lead down to 28-26 with about three and a half minutes left.
Pitts' catch on 3rd and 28 for 14 yards helped set up a big fourth-down play that got Atlanta into solid field goal range and gave them a chance at a game-winning field, which they executed to perfection.
The former Florida tight end has really come into form this season for Atlanta is starting to look like the player Falcons fans were hoping to get out of Gainesville.