Drake London didn’t need to say a word for everyone watching the Falcons to feel the frustration.
FOX caught him on the Atlanta sideline in the third quarter of Sunday’s home opener, pointing and talking through clenched teeth while Carolina was rolling with a 27-3 lead. Olamide Zaccheaus was right in front of him as London appeared to bark at a fan, and Bijan Robinson sat nearby with the same drained look. The score bug told the rest of the story: Bryce Young was 20-of-31 for 267 yards and three touchdowns, and Atlanta had already handed the game away with turnovers.
London’s reaction fit the moment. He signed a four-year, $141 million deal this summer, and on Sunday he looked like a player watching that investment disappear in real time.
An AVY3N post clipped the scene with the caption, “drake is over this s-t,” and the body language made the point without any extra help. London jabbed a glove toward the field, kept talking past Zaccheaus, then stared through the staffer beside him.
This is also the same receiver who once put Morris on the grass in a practice drill. Quiet frustration has never really been his style.
The bigger problem for Atlanta is that this wasn’t an isolated bad afternoon. Week 1 already set the tone, with Cooper Rush starting in Pittsburgh because Michael Penix and Tua Tagovailoa were both out.
London finished that game with two catches for 29 yards, while Rush spent most of the night leaning on Bijan Robinson. Atlanta even listed Zaccheaus as an emergency quarterback that day.
And the quarterback situation still hasn’t improved. Penix is working back from last year’s knee injury, Jeremy Fowler reported he is “not yet ready for live game action,” and Ian Rapoport said Cooper Rush would start again in Week 2.
So London, a $35 million-a-year receiver, is still running routes for a backup in a division game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The contract was supposed to give Atlanta some stability through 2030. The Athletic reported $100 million guaranteed and the highest average salary in franchise history.
But none of that matters much if the ball never gets there. Atlanta turned it over four times and managed just one field goal against a Carolina team that had given up 59 points to Chicago a week earlier.
Sunday’s scene made the problem plain: the receiver wasn’t the issue. The other side of the snap was.
In Other News...
Falcons Created A Quarterback Problem They Never Should Have Had
Atlantas quarterback picture got messy fast in Week 2, and it was a mess the Falcons helped create. With Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa dealing with injuries, the team turned to Cooper Rush to start against the Panthers, a move that quickly became a referendum on how the situation was handled from the outset. Rush struggled enough that Atlanta had to keep searching for a better answer as the game wore on.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Falcons finally made the switch to undrafted rookie Jack Strand, a move that only added another layer to the frustration. Strands first extended action ended almost immediately with a pick-six, turning a bad quarterback day into a harder one to defend. The bigger issue now is not just who was under center, but how Atlanta arrived at a point where it had to improvise on the fly. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Suddenly Have A Bigger Problem Than Just An 0-2 Start
The Falcons Week 2 home loss to the Panthers brought a familiar kind of frustration on the scoreboard, but it also left Atlanta dealing with a more immediate concern. Falling to 0-2 for the first time since 2020 is one thing; watching the offense sputter badly enough to trigger a quarterback change in the middle of the game is another, and it underscored how quickly the seasons early narrative has turned.
Bryce Young and Carolina added to the discomfort, with the Panthers quarterback continuing to give Atlanta problems and the Falcons defense struggling to slow him down. The injury situation made the afternoon even messier, with A.J. Terrell leaving with a groin issue and not returning, while other Falcons also went down, giving the team plenty to sort through before the week even turns. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Penix Jr. Suddenly Gives Falcons Real Hope For Week 3
The Falcons have spent the first two weeks leaning on Cooper Rush at quarterback while Michael Penix Jr. worked back from injury, and the conversation in Atlanta is already shifting toward how soon the offense can get its intended starter back. ESPNs Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport reported that Penix is nearing a return and could be in line to play in Week 3 against the Packers, a development that would change the feel of this offense in a hurry if it comes together.
Nothing is locked in yet, but the fact that Penix is this close gives Atlanta a real reason to watch the practice reports closely over the next few days. If he is not ready for Green Bay, the expectation is that he should be available by Week 4, which still leaves the Falcons on the brink of getting a much different quarterback situation than the one they have been navigating so far. [Read more 🡒]