Drake London embarrassed Sauce Gardner despite Falcons' heartbreaking defeat

The Atlanta Falcons might have lost their fourth straight game to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10, but it wasn't Drake London's fault. Despite the Dirty Birds' heartbreaking 31-25 overtime loss, London shined in Berlin as he surpassed 100 receiving yards for the fourth time in the last five games.

What makes his performance even more impressive is the fact that he accomplished all of this while mostly receiving shadow coverage from Sauce Gardner. The Colts spent heavily to acquire the superstar cornerback before the trade deadline, and London nearly made them regret that decision.

The blockbuster trade mostly aged well for the Colts, but it was late in the game where the 24-year-old exposed his felow 2022 draftee. With the Falcons looking to take a three-point lead on a fourth quarter two-point try, London got the better of Sauce, putting him in the ground before converting.

Drake London almost completely spoiled Sauce Gardner's Colts debut

Not including the two-point conversion, the fourth-year receiver logged six receptions for 104 yards and a beautiful touchdown reception from Michael Penix Jr. Colts DC Lou Anarumo did screw the pooch a bit by playing linebacker Germaine Pratt on London, but it didn't matter who covered him.

According to Next Gen Stats, most of the damage he did came while matched up with other defenders, but London did have some good plays against Sauce. On four matchups with the former Defensive Rookie of the Year, he caught two of four targets for 26 yards—which isn't too shabby.

The connection between Penix and London has spearheaded the Atlanta offense over the last few weeks, and Week 10 was no different. Despite the run game returning to form against a banged-up Colts run defense, it was the pass game that second-year OC Zac Robinson wanted to see shine.

Unforunately, Penix struggled, completing less than 50% of his passes as the rest of the pass-catchers struggled. London has been putting this passing game on his back in recent weeks while Darnell Mooney has been almost unplayable and the wide receiver depth has left a lot to be desired.

It's really looking like the Falcons missed an opportunity to add wideouts before the trade deadline, but if London keeps playing at this superstar level, he'll be able to set his sights on more than just his first career All Pro nod—he could be in for a lucrative contract extension this upcoming offseason.

As for Gardner, his Colts debut ended the way their fans hoped, but that resulted in heartache for those in the greater Atlanta area.