The Atlanta Falcons are coming off a thrilling 29-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that shook up the NFC South standings and further exposed what a wasted season this has become. Atlanta has three meaningless games left, already losing quarterback Michael Penix Jr. for the season and being eliminated from the playoffs two weeks earlier. With this in mind, the final three weeks should be about staying as healthy as possible and looking at protecting franchise players who will factor into next season.
Near the top of this list should be star receiver Drake London, who is attempting to come back from a knee injury. According to The Athletic's Josh Kendall, head coach Raheem Morris was hopeful of getting London back in Week 16. The head coach had the following to say on London's injury status: "Obviously, got to get to the practice week. I’m very hopeful he can go out there and play for us."
This is spoken like a head coach who has nothing left to lose and is attempting to put together a strong finish to save his job. The wiser move is to understand London's value to the franchise and shut down the pass catcher for the rest of the season. There is zero reason to risk re-injury or suffering another serious injury in the service of playing in three meaningless games.
Falcons Must Look to 2026, Shutting Down Star Receiver Drake London in Final 3 Games
The only downside for London is finishing the season at 810 yards and six touchdowns when the pass catcher was on pace for a 1,000-yard season and double-digit touchdowns. Still, stats are not worth risking the future of a player who has had an incredible impact on winning. Watching the offense without London on the field exposed just how much was on the shoulders of the talented receiver.
This is a situation where someone looking at the bigger picture must step in and make a difficult decision. It won't be a popular one for London, who is a competitor that clearly wants to be on the field every week. This shouldn't deter the franchise from making the right decision; if anything, it furthers why London is so important and must be protected from himself entering Week 16.
Kirk Cousins appears to finally be turning the corner, and leaving London out of the lineup furthers his degree of difficulty. While this might seem negative, it better allows the Falcons to evaluate the quarterback as they weigh the future of Cousins and whether or not he will be brought back for the 2026 season.
All of this adds up to clear reasons why the Falcons must avoid putting London back on the field and should remain focused on the season ahead. With the games no longer mattering and London quickly putting together a concerning injury history, shutting down the receiver is the only move.