Across the two first weeks of the season, the Atlanta Falcons' offense was awfully quiet. 16 points, no red zone drives, and dead last in several important offensive stats. But most importantly, the quarterback issues were starting to affect the production of their best weapons, like Drake London.
London caught just six passes for 80 yards across the first two weeks of the season, but the good news is that he was handed a lifeline in Week 3---Michael Penix Jr. made his first start of the season, and his return to the starting lineup did more than just ignite the offense--it awakened his WR1.
In the Falcons' dominant 35-14 victory over the Green Bay Packers last night, their connection took the whole nation by storm on primetime, as they connected nine times for a career-high 194 yards. There was no touchdown to cap off the big day, but it's safe to say that amid all of the turmoil and injuries, their rapport is stronger than ever.
And with Penix back, it's unlocking the side of him that Falcons fans have waited for as one of the best in the business.
Drake London shined in Michael Penix Jr.'s return to the starting lineup
We know Drake London is a top-10 receiver in the league with higher advancement potential for more with better quarterback play, but the issue here is that they've wasted pretty much his entire rookie contract with subpar QBs-except Michael Penix Jr., but as long as he healthy, the potential is clear.
To get to that 194, London and Penix hooked up on gains of 68 and 40, and while the big plays were courtesy of busted coverages, it doesn't change what we saw. In six of his last seven starts with Penix, No. 5 went for over 100 receiving yards, and has proven to be his safety valve and favorite target in a talented offense.
Thanks to his QB, the 25-year-old finally looked like someone the Dirty Birds signed to a four-year, $141 million contract extension. He's currently the third-highest paid WR in the NFL and while many would label that an overpay, London and Penix are making it hard to criticize this big-money deal.
The first two weeks of the season saw the fifth-year wideout get bogged down having to catch passes from Cooper Rush, but it goes to show you what he's capable of when he has competent QB play in an offense that's not handicapped by the man under center.
But that's not all.
Having a quarterback who's capable of making plays downfield--especially off play-action-- makes it much more difficult for a defense to anticipate what's coming. The Packers couldn't focus too much on Bijan Robinson knowing this Atlanta offense had other threats, including a signal-caller willing to air it out.
Honestly, fantasy managers are probably happiest about Michael Penix Jr.'s return, because it's finally showing us what Drake London looks like when he's comfortable with his QB. And given the Falcons were leading for most of this game, they didn't even scratch the surface of what could've been.
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