Penix, who was affected by several dropped passes, directed two touchdown and two field goal drives. The defense chipped in by returning two interceptions for touchdowns thanks to safety Jessie Bates III and outside linebacker Matthew Judon.

“He played almost flawless football and kept the game really clean,” Morris said. “He kept everything clean for us so we could get a win.”

Penix, who was named the starter this week ahead of veteran Kirk Cousins, completed 18 of 27 passes for 202 yards. He had one interception and finished with a passer rating of 73.4.

“Just go out and execute,” Penix said. “That’s what it’s going to come down to: execution.”

Penix didn’t let the burden of the team’s playoff hopes become too much for him.

“Yes, it was a must-win game, but that’s not how we imagined it,” Penix said. “We looked at it as the next game. We have to win every single game.”

Giants quarterback Drew Lock was 22 of 39 for 201 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He finished with a passer rating of 58.7.

Falcons running back Bijan Robinson ran 22 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receivers Darnell Mooney and Drake London each had five receptions for 82 and 59 yards, respectively. London suffered a hamstring injury late on and did not return.

“Just be dominant and attack downhill,” Robinson said of the quick targets. “Avoid running sideways. When we attack them downhill, it’s hard to stop us no matter what defense you play.”

New kicker Riley Patterson was 2 of 3 on his field goal attempts.

With their rookie quarterback at the helm, the Falcons got off to a slow start. But at halftime the Falcons had a 17-7 lead thanks to a defensive touchdown.

Penix drove the offense to the Giants’ 25 on the first drive, but things stalled. Patterson missed a 43-yard field goal attempt wide left.

The defense started with a three-and-out, but the Falcons’ offense was forced to punt after picking up a first down.

The Giants, mostly running the ball and throwing screen passes, put together a good-looking 14-play drive that covered 70 yards. Lock threw a 2-yard pass to running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. on the first play of the second quarter.

On the ensuing drive, Patterson hit a 52-yard field goal to make it 7-3 with 10:36 left in the second quarter.

On the Giants’ next possession, Bates intercepted Lock and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown. Patterson’s extra point made it 10-7 with 7:56 left in the second quarter.

“We were in a Cover-3 zone,” Bates said. “It looks like a man. The tight end moved over. Dee Alford did a great job communicating and making the right call.”

Bates glanced at Lock.

“Just being a ball hawk, grabbing the ball out of the air,” Bates said. “But I couldn’t have done it without Dee making the right decision or the defensive line going after the quarterback.”

After forcing a punt, Robinson scored a 4-yard touchdown to make it 17-7.

The Falcons had another scoring opportunity after linebacker Kaden Elliss had a sack strip that was tied up by Arnold Ebiketie at the Giants’ 32-yard line. The Falcons finished the game with three sacks and six quarterback hits.

The Falcons pushed to the Giants 7, but tight end Kyle Pitts bobbled a pass that was intercepted by Giants cornerback Cor’Dale Flott.

On the second play of the third quarter, Falcons defensive tackle Zach Harrison threw a pass upfield. Judon intercepted the pass and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown.

“It was the first time in the league,” said Judon. “You know, I had a couple fumble recoveries with some yards, but I couldn’t get into the end zone and it was my first choice. All glory to God, but I have to thank Zach.”

After forcing a punt, the Falcons offense picked up steam again. Robinson capped a 12-play, 69-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to make it 31-7 with 7:14 left in the third quarter.

For Robinson it was his ninth and tenth touchdown runs of the season. They are the fastest touchdowns by a Falcons player since Devonta Freeman scored 11 touchdowns in 2016. Michael “The Burner” Turner holds the team record with 17 rushing touchdowns in 2008.

Patterson added a 37-yard field goal with 10:47 to play in the fourth quarter.

In a game with NFC playoff implications, the Falcons will face the Commanders (10-5) at Northwest Stadium on Sunday at 8:20 p.m.