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ATLANTA — Michael Penix Jr. won his debut as Atlanta's starting quarterback, thanks largely to a defense that returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns to hand the hapless New York Giants their franchise-record 10th straight loss, 34-7. Jessie Bates and Matthew Judon each had a pick-6 to lead Atlanta to its second straight win after a four-game losing streak put its postseason hopes in jeopardy. The 8-7 Falcons came into the week a game behind Tampa Bay in the NFC South and holding the tiebreaker edge over the Bucs. Atlanta moved back into first place when Tampa Bay lost at Dallas on Sunday night. Penix threw for 202 yards with an interception that wasn't his fault.
