As far as surprise breakouts go for the Atlanta Falcons, I don't think anybody expected LaCale London to make the sort of impact he actually has on this Falcons' defense. The defensive tackle room has been strong, yet the veteran has still been one of the best performers in said room.
London proved down the stretch last year he was worth retaining in a rotational role, and with Da'Shawn Hand out for the season, he's stepped up in his role as Atlanta's top run defender, and while in doing so, he's cemented himself as one of the more underrated run stuffing interior DL in the NFL.
According to ESPN research, London leads not just all defensive tackles, but all defensive linemen with a 48% run stop win rate. That's better than some of the best run stuffers in the league such as Dexter Lawrence, Jordan Davis, Derrick Brown and Quinnen Williams, and that is no small feat.
The difference between the 29-year-old and those guys is that they were all first-round picks who were expected to be game-wreckers, where his story is vastly different. He went undrafted in 2020, spent some time in Chicago, and prior to joining the Falcons in 2023, he was playing in the XFL.
What makes this so intriguing is that in 13 games (and five starts) last season, London mostly popped as a pass-rusher, as he logged five sacks. But now he's quietly becoming one of the NFLs better run defenders, as he has recorded 10 stops (24th in the NFL) in just 102 snaps as a run defender in 2026, which is the same amount as one of the league's best young IDLs in Mason Graham and more than two of his teammates who are getting more buzz this year in Gervon Dexter Sr. and Brandon Dorlus.
The Atlanta Falcons need LaCale London to come through again against the Bucs
Across a four-year span, LaCale London went from XFL standout with the St. Louis Battlehawks to an important member of this Dirty Birds' defense. That's a wildly impressive feat in itself, but Atlanta is going to need their main run stuffer to step up now more than ever, especially this coming weekend.
In Week 8, the Falcons are set to face off with their division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers , who are one of the run-heaviest teams in the NFL. In their 43-13 win over the Panthers in Week 7, they ran the football 49 times and surpassed over 250 rushing yards, so it also happens to be where they're best.
Through seven weeks, Bucs rank third in the NFL in rushing attempts (210) and second in rushing yards (1,025), as only the Bears and Bills are averaging more rushing yards on a weekly basis. Pounding the rock is their identity, and given Baker Mayfield still isn't 100% after his thumb injury (he had just 11 pass attempts in Week 7), I would expect that trend to continue.
Ex-Falcons OC Zac Robinson has diverted a bit from the wide zone system he spearheaded in Atlanta, but now it's more power looks with tough runners like Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell. They're willing to run up the middle more, and in order to stop that, you need someone in the A-Gap, and thats where LaCale does his best work.
No. 94 has been a DC's dream against the run to the point it's insane he was brought back for so cheap (only $2.75 million). He's in a contract year and is quietly playing his way into a massive payday this offseason, as there was a rep against the 49ers where he had a great stop in the backfield on the goal line.
He just throws these offensive linemen around like ragdolls in order to make the play.
According to Pro Football Focus, London's 71.1 run defense grade is good for 15th out of 126 qualified defensive tackles, and he's still solid as a pass-rusher. You probably wouldn't guess it, but he's one of the most important players on Jeff Ulbrich's defense.
This is going to be a matchup where stopping the run and forcing the Bucs to throw is a key to victory for the Falcons, so if LaCale London can do what he's done all year and step up as a run defender, that should help Atlanta improve to 4-4 on Sunday. and continue to prove he deserves to stay.
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