The Atlanta Falcons overcame insurmountable odds to upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night. Down by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the Falcons led a ferocious comeback to set up Zane Gonzalez's game-winning field goal as time expired.
Even after missing back-to-back two-point conversions, Atlanta's defense came up with a clutch stop late and the offense did the rest. Kirk Cousins and Kyle Pitts looked like vintage Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. Bijan Robinson racked up 175 total yards.
Rookie James Pearce Jr. continued his sack streak and the Falcons finally got a few lucky breaks down the stretch. Here are five takeaways from Atlanta's Week 15 road win over Tampa Bay.
Kyle Pitts has best game of NFL career
Kyle Pitts has taken a ton of flack from this fans over the years despite the team changing quarterbacks pretty much every season that he's been in Atlanta. In Week 15, the fifth-year tight end pulled in 11 catches for 166 receiving yards and a career-high three touchdowns. The Falcons would've had no chance without Pitts, who's been on a tear with Drake London sidelined. Over the last three weeks, Pitts has recorded 24 catches for 338 receiving yards and three touchdowns. For the season, he has 73 catches for 797 yards and four touchdowns.
Cousins shreds Bucs for 373 yards, 3 TDs
After Baker Mayfield and Kirk Cousins put on a show in their last meeting, many wondered if there would be an encore. Cousins obviously got the memo and shredded the Bucs defense for 373 passing yards, three touchdowns and a passer rating of 117.0. The veteran QB had yet to really look like his former self prior to Week 15, but his performance on Thursday was the best that has played since before his arm injury in 2024.
"Kirk was absolutely phenomenal," head coach Raheem Morris said after the game. "He put the ball in the right spots, gave people opportunities, made some plays when he had to make plays."
James Pearce Jr. - Sacks machine
Pearce has recorded a sack in six consecutive games. The first-round pick out of Tennessee added two more to his total on Thursday night and now leads all rookies with eight sacks this season. That trade isn't looking too bad anymore, especially when you factor in the Rams' third-round pick that Atlanta used to acquire safety Xavier Watts. Jalon Walker also recorded a half sack in yet another strong showing from Atlanta's rookie class, but Pearce deserves his flowers.
Falcons flagged for team-record 19 penalties
The Falcons broke a team record with 19 total penalties for a total of 125 yards on Thursday night. This is obviously a bad look, and had the team lost, it would surely have been the story of the game. As much as these flags hurt, the team also got a huge break when the Buccaneers committed a fourth-down penalty that allowed Atlanta to score its first touchdown of the game. Comparatively, Tampa Bay was called for just four penalties on the night.
Bijan bounces back from critical mistake
Bijan Robinson caught a short pass but fumbled the ball on the Falcons' own 25-yard line late in the third quarter. The Bucs were already up 20-14 but Atlanta had a chance to take the lead before this crucial fumble. Robinson made up for his blunder by rushing for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The star running back finished with 175 total yards. It's not how you start, it's how you finish. Robinson now has 1,858 all-purpose yards this season.
Defense held Bucs in check, Dee Alford with clutch INT
The Buccaneers didn't do a ton of damage in the first half. And even though the Falcons gave up some huge plays to Baker Mayfield and company in the second half, they also got some clutch stops when they needed them. Down by eight points in the fourth quarter. Dee Alford picked off Mayfield and set up a Falcons touchdown. Then, down by two points in the final two minutes, the defense shut down Tampa Bay and forced a punt. It was another great day by one of the NFL's most underrated defenses.
What's next for the Falcons?
The Falcons have a nice long week before they return against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16. The Cardinals have struggled this season but have been competitive with backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett for the most part. Atlanta will face Arizona on the road next Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons defeat Buccaneers: Recap of NFL Week 15