NFL scores: Falcons spoil Bucs’ playoff hopes behind Kyle Pitts’ big night

It was a tight NFC South matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night, and the latter wanted to be a spoiler.

The Falcons, who were eliminated from the play-offs last week, made it difficult for the Bucs to win the division after Zane Gonzalez’s 29-28 winning goal.

Tampa Bay, which has lost its last two games, is 7-7 this year while the Falcons are 5-9.

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One of the biggest stories coming into the game was the return of veteran forward Mike Evans, who had been out since Week 4 with a collarbone injury.

While many wondered if the Bucs would count him out right away, that didn’t seem to be the case as quarterback Baker Mayfield loved giving him the ball in this game. Evans finished with 132 yards on just six catches to lead the Bucs in the passing game.

But Evans’ impressive performance was nothing compared to Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts, who had a career game on “Thursday Night Football.” In the absence of star receiver Drake London, Pitts became Kirk Cousins’ favorite target on the night.

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The 6-foot-5 tight end had three touchdown catches and 166 yards on 11 catches as he and Cousins ​​found a quick connection early and began to catch on late in the game.

After Mayfield was picked off by Dee Alford on a 28–20 game, Cousins ​​and the Falcons’ offense had the opportunity to march down the field and tie the game, provided they scored a touchdown and established a successful two-point conversion.

Cousins, who had found Pitts twice before, fired a pass into his trusty goal, who secured the ball and was able to stay on the line for his third score of the night. Video review was needed to determine if he was out of bounds, and although his elbow appeared to be out, he simultaneously hit his rear end into the infield. The fact that officials initially called a touchdown was not enough evidence to overturn the score.

Kirk Cousins ​​of the Atlanta Falcons warms up before his game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on December 11, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

But the Bucs were still in second place and needed a big stop on the two-point play. That’s exactly what they found out because Cousins ​​took his time and the pass fell incomplete.

Mayfield, who threw two touchdown passes to Chris Godwin and Devin Culp in this game, knew they could ice the game with a few first-down passes on the next drive. But Mayfield, backed up on third-and-14, was sacked on the two-minute warning.

Cousins ​​had no timeout after getting the ball back and his stripping was an inauspicious start to the game and it could have ended right then and there.

However, the decision was that both the Bucs and Falcons had the ball, meaning the tie would go to the team on offense. That still left Cousins ​​down to second-and-18, which turned into second-and-28 with a holding penalty deemed after the incompletion.

However, Cousins ​​used Pitts and David Sills V to gain the distance needed to keep the drive alive. The Falcons were eventually in shooting range for Gonzalez, who buried a 43-yarder for the win.

The Bucs took a 28-14 lead into the fourth quarter, but a defensive collapse at the worst possible time ultimately cost them.

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In the box score, Cousins ​​had an outstanding performance in prime time, passing for 373 yards on his three connections with Pitts.

And we can’t forget Bijan Robinson, the league leader in offensive yards with 175 total (93 rushing, 82 receiving) on ​​27 total touches for Atlanta.

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