The Atlanta Falcons signed Drake London to a four-year, $141 million contract extension this summer, but his first game after becoming one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL didn't go according to according to plan, as he caught just two passes for 29 yards in the Week 1 loss.
Since the Falcons' offensive game-plan in Week 1 was basically just to spam the ball to BIjan Robinson, it came at the expense of everyone else's numbers. It's not like one rough game will instantly invalidate the deal, but the offense will look better if London gets more involved in Week 2.
Kevin Stefanski has openly admitted that he wants to spread the football around more, and the home opener against the Carolina Panthers is a good opportunity to get the star wideout more involved, and that's regardless of who starts, since that Panthers' defense looked like swiss cheese last week.
Getting Drake London involved is crucial to the Falcons' Week 2 success
The Panthers surrendered 59 points to the Chicago Bears in the opener, so a matchup with Ejiro Evero's defense could be a get-right game for the entire offense. After all, they did give up a big play to Rome Odunze--and Drake London is a heck of a lot more dangerous for a defense than Odunze.
Here's the issue though: that'll be easier said than done. For starters, it seems likely that Cooper Rush will start for the second straight game, and we saw how awful he looked last week. And while the Carolina defense is an advantageous matchup. the coverage from the secondary could be an issue.
The 25-year-old will likely draw shadow coverage from Jaycee Horn, who is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, on Sunday. That'll make the chances of a big day that much tougher, and even if Horn doesn't stick to him like peanut butter on jelly, Mike Jackson won't be a favorable matchup either.
Between the two of them, the Panthers boast one of the better CB duos in the NFL--and it's not like they're scared of human decoy Jahan Dotson all that much. Most of their attention will be on London, which makes it that much more important to get him going early whether it be through his size or lining him up in the slot.
But with Rush healthier than he was a week ago, the Falcons are in line to take more downfield shots than they did-- which is out to benefit the USC product. It may not be the same as his rapport as Michael Penix Jr., but London has proven to be relatively QB-proof throughout his five-year career.
Desmond Ridder. Marcus Mariota. Taylor Heinicke. Kirk Cousins. Drake London has played with some brutal passers in his career, so Cooper Rush should be nothing to worry about. Finding ways to scheme him open or get the ball in his hands--even with Horn on him--will help his QB1 get comfortable.
And while Drake London hasn't proven to be worth being the third highest-paid WR in the NFL, we all know it's only a matter of time before he does--so hopefully that trend kicks off against the Panthers.
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