It was a hard-fought NFC South matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night, and the latter wanted to play spoiler.

The Falcons, who were eliminated from the playoffs last week, made it harder for the Bucs to win the division after a walk-off field goal by Zane Gonzalez in a 29-28 victory.

Tampa Bay is now 7-7 on the year, having lost their last two games, while the Falcons are 5-9.

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One of the big storylines coming into the game was the return of veteran receiver 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 getting him the ball in this one. Evans finished with 132 yards on just six catches to lead the way for the Bucs in the pass game.

However, 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-6 tight end had three touchdown catches and 166 yards on 11 catches, as he and Cousins found a quick connection early and it came in clutch late in the game.

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

Cousins, having found Pitts twice before, lofted a pass to his trusty tight end, who secured it and managed to stay in bounds for his third score of the night. Video review was needed to determine if he stayed in bounds, and while it appeared his elbow was out, his backside hit the turf in bounds at the same moment. With officials calling a touchdown initially, it was insufficient evidence to overturn the score.

Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons warms up prior to a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on Dec. 11, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

But the Bucs were still up two, needing a big stop on the two-point play. They got just that, as Cousins was hurried and the pass went incomplete.

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

Cousins didn’t have any timeouts to work with after getting the ball back, and it was an inauspicious start to the drive when he was strip-sacked and the game could’ve been over right then and there.

But the ruling was both the Bucs and Falcons had the ball, meaning the tie goes to the team who was on offense. That still set Cousins back to second-and-18, which turned into second-and-28 on a holding penalty that was accepted after an incompletion.

Cousins, though, used Pitts and David Sills V to get the yardage needed to keep the drive alive. The Falcons were in field goal range for Gonzalez, who eventually buried the 43-yarder for the win.

The Bucs were up 28-14 heading into the fourth quarter, but a defensive breakdown at the worst time cost them in the end.

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In the box score, Cousins was phenomenal in primetime, passing for 373 yards with his three connections to Pitts.

And we can’t forget about Bijan Robinson, the league-leader in scrimmage yards who totaled 175 (93 rushing, 82 receiving) on 27 total touches for Atlanta.

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A scary moment occurred during the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars game when Michael Pittman Jr. accidentally knocked over a security guard, who fell hard on the turf near the end zone. 

On what would’ve been a touchdown catch – Pittman was called for offensive pass interference to negate the grab in the end zone – he was pushed and lost his footing in rainy conditions as he slid onto the grass.

But Pittman immediately hit a security guard, who wasn’t looking behind him as he performed his duty looking up at the Jacksonville crowd at EverBank Stadium. The security guard hit the turf hard, as the back of his head slammed on the ground. 

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Pittman was quick to check on the man before eventually rejoining his team on the field. 

After the game, Pittman posted on X hoping to find out the status of the security guard. 

“Any updates on the security guard that hit his head on the sideline yesterday?” Pittman asked his followers with a praying hands emoji. 

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Fox News Digital asked Pittman on Wednesday if he ever heard about the man he collided with. 

“So, I got an update from other people,” Pittman, who also discussed his partnership with Oral-B. “We’re still working on — we have a great media team in our building. They said they’re going to get his name for me so I can reach out personally and check on him. 

“That was a scary thing for everybody involved, but they said that he walked off on his own power. He’s doing good, so that’s good.”

NFL players are always going the extra mile to help their teams win games, but sometimes the heat of competition results in those bystanders on the sideline becoming collateral damage. This was one of the scarier hits between a player and gameday personnel, but it’s good to hear that the security guard appears to be good. 

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) hauls in a pass under the defense of Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown (30) in the third quarter during an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Florida. (Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union)

That would’ve been the first touchdown pass of rookie Riley Leonard’s young career if Pittman’s grab stood for six points. But it ultimately didn’t work out in the 36-19 loss, where starting quarterback Daniel Jones was lost for the season due to a torn Achilles in the first quarter. 

As a result, the Colts have signed 44-year-old Philip Rivers, who came out of retirement to play for the last time he suited for in the NFL back in 2020 – Pittman’s rookie year in the league. 

PERFECT CLEAN, PERFECT GAME

Pittman teamed up with Oral-B, which was recently named the official toothbrush of the NFL, and he shot some fun content with beloved Colts mascot, Blue.

Pittman and Blue were trying to get their pearly whites clean with the new iO Series Electric Toothbrush, and though Blue is known for his moving belly during games, he had a giant set of teeth to get right before the game as well.

Michael Pittman Jr., and beloved Colts mascot Blue, partnered with Oral-B, the official toothbrush of the NFL. (Oral-B)

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As someone who never strays away from his gameday routine, it starts with brushing his teeth before anything else in the morning.

“The smile is everything,” Pittman said. “Oral-B being the official toothbrush of the NFL, I just felt like it was a perfect partner because they give you the perfect clean so you can play the perfect game with their IO-series toothbrush they just came out with. It does all the work for you, so it couldn’t be easier.”

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