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It was a close NFC South matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night, and the latter wanted to play spoilsport.
The Falcons, who were eliminated from the playoffs last week, made it harder for the Bucs to win the division after a Zane Gonzalez field goal in a 29-28 victory.
Tampa Bay is now 7-7 so far this year, having lost its last two games, while the Falcons are 5-9.
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Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons runs with the ball during the first quarter of the NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on December 11, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
One of the big stories coming into the game was the return of veteran catcher Mike Evans, who had been sidelined since Week 4 with a collarbone injury.
While many wondered if the Bucs would have him on a snap count, it didn’t seem that way as quarterback Baker Mayfield loved giving him the ball in this one. Evans finished with 132 yards on just six receptions to lead the way for the Bucs in the passing game.
However, Evans’ impressive performance was nothing compared to that of 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 that night.
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The 6-foot-6 tight end had three touchdown receptions and 166 yards on 11 receptions, as he and Cousins found a quick connection early and it became crucial late in the game.
After Mayfield was eliminated by Dee Alford in a 28-20 game, Cousins and the Falcons offense had a chance to march down the field and tie the game, as long as they scored a touchdown and had a successful two-point conversion.
Cousins, having found Pitts twice before, threw a pass to his trusty tight end, who secured it and managed to stay in bounds for his third score of the night. A video review was needed to determine if he stayed in bounds, and although it appeared his elbow was out, his butt hit the grass in bounds at the same moment. Since the officials initially scored a touchdown, there was not enough evidence to overturn the score.
Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons warms up before a 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 up two and needed a big stop on the two-point play. They did just that, as Cousins rushed and the pass fell incomplete.
Mayfield, who had two touchdown passes in this game to Chris Godwin and Devin Culp, knew they could ice the game with some first downs on the next drive. But backed up on third-and-14, Mayfield was sacked at the two-minute warning.
Cousins had no timeouts to work with after recovering the ball, and it was an inauspicious start to the drive when he was sacked and the game could have been over right then and there.
But the ruling was that both the Bucs and the Falcons had the ball, meaning the tie goes to the team that was on offense. That still left Cousins back on second-and-18, which became second-and-28 with a holding penalty that was accepted after an incomplete play.
Cousins, however, used Pitts and David Sills V to get the yards needed to keep the drive alive. The Falcons were within field goal range of Gonzalez, who ultimately scored the 43-yarder to take the win.
The Bucs were up 28-14 heading into the fourth quarter, but a badly timed defensive failure cost them the score in the end.
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On the scoreboard, Cousins was phenomenal in prime time, throwing for 373 yards with his three connections to Pitts.
And we can’t forget Bijan Robinson, the league leader in yards from scrimmage who totaled 175 (93 rushing, 82 receiving) on 27 total touches for Atlanta.
