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.

Kirk Cousins threw his first touchdown pass in five weeks and the Atlanta Falcons did just enough to beat the struggling Las Vegas Raiders 15-9 and keep pace in the NFC South race.

Kirk Cousins threw for a career-high 509 yards and four touchdowns, the last of them a 45-yard scoring pass to KhaDarel Hodge in overtime that gave the Atlanta Falcons an improbable 36-30 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Falcons wide receiver Drake London was penalized after catching a touchdown pass in the final minute of Atlanta’s 22-21 victory in Philadelphia on Monday night for pretending to shoot in the air, a violation of a longstanding NFL rule that prohibits such gestures.

Josh Johnson completed all 11 of his pass attempts and Emory Jones added a long touchdown throw in the second half to lift the Baltimore Ravens to a 13-12 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Atlanta rookie Michael Penix Jr. completed 9 of 16 passes for 104 yards in the Falcons’ 20-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Friday night in the preseason opener for both teams.

Desmond Ridder led an impressive drive for Atlanta in his preseason debut and the Falcons settled for a field goal with 2 seconds left for a 13-13 tie with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Bijan Robinson has a new number with a big Atlanta history, a newly signed contract and huge expectations no rookie Falcons running back has faced in recent years.

Falcons running back Cordarrelle Patterson returned a kickoff 103 yards to become the NFL career leader with nine touchdowns.

D’Onta Foreman carried 31 times for 130 yards and a touchdown, Laviska Shenault added a 41-yard burst to the end zone and the Carolina Panthers beat the Atlanta Falcons 25-15 on a rainy night.

Atlanta’s Younghoe Koo booted a 41-yard field goal in overtime after the Carolina Panthers missed a pair of kicks that could have won the game.

Tom Brady threw for 351 yards and a touchdown, helping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers end a two-game losing streak with a 21-15 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Matthew Stafford threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns, Jalen Ramsey intercepted a potential go-ahead touchdown pass in the end zone and the Los Angeles Rams held off a second-half rally attempt by the Atlanta Falcons for a 31-27 victory.

Wil Lutz kicked a 51-yard field goal with 19 seconds remaining to cap a stunning fourth-quarter comeback by the New Orleans Saints.

Marcus Mariota led Atlanta to scores on two of his three drives in the Falcons’ 24-16 loss against mostly New York Jets backups.

Devin Singletary scored two touchdowns rushing in the second half to make up for Josh Allen’s sloppiness and the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills rallied to clinch their third consecutive playoff berth with a 29-15 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Tom Brady threw for 368 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the brink of an NFC South title with a 30-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Mac Jones threw a 19-yard scoring pass to Nelson Agholor for the game’s only offensive touchdown and the New England defense took care of the rest.

Matt Ryan hit Cordarrelle Patterson for a 64-yard gain with a minute to go, setting up Younghoe Koo’s 29-yard field goal as time expired, and the Atlanta Falcons defeated the mistake-prone New Orleans Saints 27-25.

Younghoe Koo kicked a 40-yard field goal on the final play and the Atlanta Falcons beat the New York Giants 17-14 to give coach Arthur Smith his first NFL win Sunday.

Logan Woodside and Matt Barkley each threw touchdown passes to open Tennessee’s backup quarterback competition and the Titans beat the Atlanta Falcons 23-3 in each team’s preseason opener.

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay (50) reacts next to Atlanta Falcons' Luke Stocker (88) after Falcons place kicker Younghoe Koo missed a 39-yard field goal during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)NEW YORK – Despite winning 10 in a row, the Kansas City Chiefs have been just barely getting by in recent games. And the Chiefs' lead has also narrowed a bit atop the latest AP Pro32 poll. The Chiefs received 10 of 12 first-place votes for 381 points in balloting Tuesday by media members who regularly cover the NFL. “But winning in Kansas City, with or without a full house, is going to be difficult.”The Green Bay Packers and the Buffalo Bills flipped spots again after routs in prime time.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is tackled by Atlanta Falcons Foyesade Oluokun during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Kansas City. – All season, the prolific Kansas City offense had been putting the Chiefs in position to capture the No. And when the Pro Bowl kicker faded it right with 9 seconds remaining, the Chiefs had escaped, 17-14. Not to mention the Chiefs got their club-record 10th straight win and and the AFC's lone first-round playoff bye. They took the lead when Matt Ryan hit Laquon Treadwell for a 5-yard touchdown with 4:33 to go, then answered Mahomes' touchdown pass to Robinson by marching right down field again.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan gets sacked by Atlanta Falcons linebacker Foye Oluokun during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn)CHARLOTTE, N.C. – This time, the Atlanta Falcons finished. Carolina was driving late, but Atlanta stopped the rally when Blidi Wreh-Wilson intercepted Teddy Bridgewater near the Falcons' 10-yard line with 1:04 remaining. Moore on third and 18 to move the Panthers into Falcons territory. Bridgewater was limited to 176 yards passing as the Panthers (3-5) lost their third straight game without injured Christian McCaffrey. UP NEXTFalcons: Host the Broncos on Nov. 8Panthers: Open the second half of the season at the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs on Nov. 8.

Tonyan caught three of Aaron Rodgers’ four touchdown passes, Za'Darius Smith recorded three sacks and the Packers remained unbeaten with a 30-16 victory over the winless Atlanta Falcons on Monday night. “I just had to continue to do what I've been doing, just keep playing well and stick to the game plan,” Tonyan said. Green Bay star receiver Davante Adams sat out a second straight game with a hamstring injury and Allen Lazard is on injured reserve with a core problem. Tonyan has scored in three straight games and now has five touchdown catches to match Tampa Bay's Mike Evans for the NFL lead. Defensive tackle Kenny Clark (groin) missed a third straight game.

(AP Photo/John Bazemore)ATLANTA, GA – Taysom Hill’s rare moment in the spotlight came in an important game for the New Orleans Saints. Hill blocked a punt to set up his 3-yard touchdown catch before scoring again on a 30-yard run, and the New Orleans Saints clinched their third straight NFC South title by beating the Atlanta Falcons 26-18 on Thursday night. Falcons: Left guard James Carpenter left the game with a concussion in the first half. He threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Russell Gage with less than four minutes remaining. The Falcons play their fifth straight game against an NFC South rival when they face Carolina on Dec. 8.