Falcons’ Kyle Pitts delivers his first 100-yard game of the season

Kyle Pitts had himself a stellar first half against the Buccaneers on Thursday.

During the Week 15 “Thursday Night Football” matchup, the Falcons tight end racked up 111 yards on six receptions with two receiving touchdowns through the first two quarters. He went on to score a third touchdown in the fourth quarter to help lead Atlanta to a thrilling 29-28 win.

Both of Pitts’ first-half touchdowns came in the second quarter on short red-zone passes from Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins.

He finished the night with 11 catches and 166 receiving yards.

Pitts’ performance came after he was previously listed as questionable ahead of Thursday’s game, as he did not log a single full practice throughout the week while dealing with a knee issue.

The 25-year-old has yet to miss a game this season, and has been one of the league’s top tight ends — his 62 receptions and 631 receiving yards both rank in the top five for the position.

Pitts, who is in a contract year, has spent the entirety of his five-year NFL career in Atlanta and has put up 3,282 receiving yards along with a Pro Bowl appearance in his rookie season.

Despite holding a mediocre 4-9 record on the season headed into Thursday’s game, Pitts has emerged as one of the Falcons’ top offensive players, with offensive coordinator Zac Robinson saying that he is “our No. 1 guy that we’re targeting,” according to ESPN’s Marc Raimondi.

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. (8) runs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. AP

Headed into the season, Falcons’ quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who is out for the remainder of the year with a partially torn left ACL, praised Pitts, saying that he was planning to target the tight end a lot throughout the year.

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“You see we got KP the ball today,” Penix said following the opening day of training camp in July. “There’s going to be a lot of that.”

“He’s been working hard. He’s had a great summer and I know he said he feels really good coming into camp. I can see it,” he added.

[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]