Three days before Christmas, the Atlanta Falcons decided to give their fan base an early gift. Matthew Judon raised the ball over his head at about the 10-yard line and continued to rumble his way into the end zone. The interception, 26-yard return, and score made the score 24-7 in favor of the Atlanta Falcons at the very beginning of the third quarter. The New York Giants took that blow and never got up off of the canvas. Fight over and the Falcons, now 8-7 overall, playoff hopes continue.
The Atlanta Falcons (8-7 overall, tied for first in NFC South with Tampa, who plays tonight in Dallas) defeated the New York Giants 34-7 to keep their playoff hopes alive, while also moving back above .500. The story on Sunday was less about Penix Jr.’s debut as a starter and more about what this team could have done if the defense looked this good during that recent four-game losing streak.
After the game Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said he didn’t get the opportunity to give out a game ball, but he might not just give it to any one player. “I should give it to the whole team,” he said.
Atlanta Falcons rookie starting quarterback Michael Penix, Jr.’s stat line before Sunday was a paltry 3-5 for 38 yards. Penix, Jr. played in two games before Sunday, both in losses to Seattle and on the road in Denver. His first pass attempt as a starter was incomplete, but his first third down attempt as a starter was good for a first down. Penix found Drake London downfield on a crossing route. He would find Ray-Ray McCloud III on a screen a few plays later, which put the Falcons in field goal position. Penix went 2-5 for 27 yards during the possession. Falcons kicker Riley Patterson, who was replacing injured starter YounghoeKoo, would miss the ensuing field goal. Penix finished the first half 9-16 for 110 yards, an interception, and without his first career touchdown pass. He finished his first career start with 200 yards passing, and most importantly a victory.
On Penix, Jr.’s play, Morris gave the rookie a lot of praise. “He went out and played almost flawless football,” said Morris. “The kid was ready.”
“The kid” was equally as positive about his team’s effort during the win. “It was a great game. A great team game,” said Penix, Jr.
The visiting Giants didn’t get the menu about the coronation of Penix, Jr. and decided to start playing winning football for the first time this season. On a 14-play, 70-yard drive that ate up eight minutes of the first quarter and a couple of seconds of the second quarter, Giants quarterback Drew Lock found Tyrone Tracy, Jr. in the back of the end zone to score the game’s first points.
Patterson would make good on his second field goal attempt of the day, connecting on a 52-yarder that made the score 7-3 at the 10-minute mark of the second quarter. A few minutes later Falcons safety Jessie Bates III would put the Falcons ahead 10-3 following an interception and return for touchdown. Before the interception, Lock was playing as well as can be expected for a team that has gone through three starting quarterbacks this season.
Coming off a week where they only allowed nine points on the road in Las Vegas, the Falcons’ defense held the Giants, an equally as bad football team as the Raiders at 2-12, to seven first-half points. Falcons linebacker Arnold Ebiketie’s sack on second down during a Giants drive with five minutes remaining in the first half helped force a third and long, and then another New York punt.
Penix found receiver Darnell Mooney twice on a drive, while also drawing a 30-yard pass interference call on a pass to Mooney that put Atlanta on the Giants’ 39-yard line. The drive was capped with a couple of runs by Bijan Robinson, the last one being for a four-yard touchdown that put Atlanta up 17-7 with less than two minutes to play in the first half.
The Falcons defensive unit forced a turnover with 1:20 down in Giants territory. The offense took advantage of that field position, but ultimately turned the ball over on the one-yard line following a Penix, Jr. interception that should be credited to tight end Kyle Pitts. The third-year tight end would finish the game with a single catch.
Atlanta found ways to move the ball without any magic from Penix, Jr. The big plays on offense came from having a running back duo of Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. Robinson scored his second touchdown of the game to give Atlanta a 31-7 advantage midway through the third quarter. Atlanta added another Patterson field goal early in the fourth quarter to go up 34-7.
The Falcons kept the Giants scoreless during the second half, making Sunday the second game in a row they held a team to 10 points or less.
