ATLANTA – It didn’t happen, but for a while it looked like things were actually going downhill.

If you didn’t know better, you would have correctly assumed the Giants were trying to lose. I’m trying to look bad. I’m trying to…refuel. This is a terrible insinuation towards a team and the players who are part of that team. Fans can demand defeat when it comes to draft picks, but players want to win. If they actually played their best on Sunday, then the Giants must actually be as lame as their record says.

Never say that it can’t get worse, because it can, and it does. The Giants were beaten 34-7 by the mediocre Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, marking their 100th year for the Giants as the season in which they tied a franchise record with their 10th straight loss.

The extent of this embarrassment cannot be measured by mere words. It had to be felt and experienced, the total dominance and the abject weakness of an offense that gave up more points than it scored. Drew Lock, the quarterback who received this assignment, threw a touchdown pass and threw two pick-six interceptions to give the Falcons 14 points. Lock also lost the ball with a fumble after a sack. After the Giants took a 7-0 lead, the Falcons scored the next 34 points. Lock finished 22 of 39 for 210 yards.

Looking forward, the Giants retain their position as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, a prize for whoever gets to make the evaluations and the decision. The fate and job security of head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen must be hanging in the balance because there is no sense that the Giants are on the right track and the fact that the team is dead looks brutal for everyone involved out of.

Michael Penix Jr. made his NFL starting debut for the Falcons (8-7) and the rookie didn’t have to do any heavy lifting. He made some nice throws, looked like a rookie at times, and threw an unfortunate interception that wasn’t his fault. Most of the time, Penix (18 of 27, 202 yards) provided some juice and wasn’t Kirk Cousins, the veteran who fell out of favor and was benched.

It’s almost inconceivable for the Giants (2-13) to have two games left because they seemed completely unable to keep up.

At least the Giants can say they made history as 2024 comes to a merciful end for them. Never before has this franchise put a team on the field that has lost 10 games in a row. The 1976 and 2019 teams struggled through nine-game losing streaks, and the end of the 2003 season (eight straight losses) and the start of the 2004 season (opening day loss) added up to a nine-game losing streak. Now there is an imperfect 10, and two games remain to be added to the series.

Daniel Jones was the starting quarterback for the first five losses during that terrible stretch. Tommy DeVito got the next one, Lock the next two, DeVito another one (with Tim Boyle as the relief pitcher in the second half) and Lock got the last start. He ran around under fire far too often and coughed up the ball with alarming regularity. He now has three pick-six interceptions in his three starts.

It all started so decently for the Giants. After a three-and-out on their first series, they took a 7-0 lead on a 14-play drive, punctuated by Lock’s deft throw left to running back Tyrone Tracy in the back of the end zone to make it 2-0 find. Yard scoring catch. Tracy jumped and contained his feet, looking like the wide receiver he was early in his college career at Purdue.

The noisy building went quiet after that, but it didn’t take long for the Giants to get back to who they were and soon the joint got going. Penix hit Darnell Mooney for 22 yards, sparking a drive that ended with a field goal to make it 7-3. The Giants got the ball back, picked up a first down and advanced into Falcons territory before disaster struck. Lock was late in throwing to Wan’Dale Robinson, who ran a curl route, making it easy for safety Jessie Bates to step in front of Robinson. It was a routine interception, and Bates took off, running untouched 55 yards for a pick six that made the score 10-7.

Later in the second quarter, Lock was sacked by Kaden Elliss, who badly beat right defenseman Greg Van Roten. Lock lost the ball on a fumble with 1:21 left before halftime and the Falcons took over at the Giants’ 31-yard line. They made it to the Giants’ 7-yard line, but were unable to extend their lead as Dane Belton separated tight end Kyle Pitts from the ball and Cor’Dale Flott made an interception at the goal line.

Two plays into the second half, Lock’s pass was deflected by defensive lineman Zach Harrison as the right side of the offensive line – Evan Neal and Greg Van Roten – gave way and allowed way too much pressure. The ball was plucked out of the air by outside linebacker Mattthew Judon, who returned it 26 yards for a second pick six on lock, putting the Giants through the clock. Things got worse, as they usually do with the Giants.