Drake London’s frustration was impossible to miss in Atlanta’s 34-3 home loss to Carolina, when the Falcons wideout was caught on camera yelling and pointing toward reportedly a fan.
The moment drew plenty of attention online, and while the reaction itself was over the top, London’s annoyance has a case behind it. Through two games this season with third-stringer Cooper Rush and fourth-string QB Jack Strand, he has managed just 6 receptions for 80 yards.
That’s a sharp drop from the 1,200-yard season London put together in 2024, and the Falcons have yet to get much of the big-play version of him this year. The good news for Atlanta is that a familiar quarterback may be on the way to changing that.
London has found his best rhythm with Michael Penix Jr., and the numbers back it up. According to StatMuse, he has 91 catches for 1,286 yards and 9 touchdowns in 14 games with Penix. That stretch would stand as the best season of London’s career if it were stretched across a full year.
The connection has been built on size, trust and timing. London’s role as a big-bodied target has meshed well with Penix’s willingness to feed him, and the recent game log between the two is hard to ignore:
7/119/0
6/104/1
9/118/3
4/42/0
10/158/1
8/110/1
Now the Falcons head to primetime at Lambeau Field for Thursday Night Football, still searching for their first win of the season. London wants the ball.
Atlanta wants a win. If the past is any guide, Penix gives both the best chance to get what they need.
In Other News...
Bijan Robinson Suddenly Has A Rare Falcons Milestone In Reach
Bijan Robinsons name has already become central to the Falcons offense, and now it sits next to a piece of team history that would be unusual even by Atlanta standards. Amid a run of recent NFL milestones around the league, Robinson has given the Falcons something more immediate to watch in Week 3: the possibility of a running back reaching a franchise mark that has been on the books for years.
It is the kind of threshold that says as much about how the offense is using him as it does about Robinsons own versatility. For Atlanta, the larger point is not just that he is piling up touches, but that he is being put in position to leave a mark in a category not often associated with backs. The record is there, the opportunity is there, and now the Falcons have one more reason to pay close attention when the ball gets near the goal line. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Face An Ugly Reality Entering Packers Matchup
The Falcons head into their Week 3 trip to Green Bay already carrying the kind of concerns that can make a road game feel even longer. The Packers bring the cleaner roster and the steadier quarterback situation, while Atlanta is still trying to find reliable play under center and across the board, two issues that have already shaped the early part of the 2026 season.
For Atlanta, the matchup is less about matching the Packers punch for punch and more about avoiding another lopsided afternoon that deepens the pressure around the team. Green Bay is being forecast to handle this one comfortably, which leaves the Falcons with an ugly reality in front of them and a chance to show some progress in a spot where the margin for error looks thin. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Hand Michael Penix Jr. A Huge Early Test Without A Key Defender
Michael Penix Jr. is set for a significant early-season spotlight in Week 3, as the Falcons turn to the young quarterback against the Green Bay Packers. The move comes at a time when Atlanta is also adjusting its defense, with cornerback A.J. Terrell landing on injured reserve and defensive lineman Zach Harrison getting promoted from the practice squad. It is the kind of lineup shuffle that puts even more attention on how quickly the rookie can settle in.
Atlanta is also expected to add cornerback Robert Longerbeam from the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad, another sign the secondary is being patched together on the fly. For a team trying to steady itself this early in the season, the timing matters, and the matchup with Green Bay now carries a little extra weight because of it. Elsewhere around the league, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returned to full participation in practice after his oblique injury, a reminder of how quickly the quarterback landscape can shift around Penixs first big test. [Read more 🡒]