Falcons wide receiver Drake London suffered a knee injury during Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, according to head coach Raheem Morris. The injury occurred on Atlanta’s final offensive play of regulation, when backup quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a pass down the left sideline intended for London.
On Monday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that London is expected to miss the team’s upcoming Week 12 game against the New Orleans Saints and could be out for additional games. Later that day, Morris addressed the media and said London’s status is “week to week” due to what he described as a PCL injury.
“You never know, Drake could come back tomorrow and feel a lot better, but we’ll get a feel for how that goes and he’ll be a week-to-week guy,” Morris said.
London has been one of the team’s top performers this season, ranking fourth among NFL receivers with 810 yards through Sunday’s games. He caught seven passes for 119 yards in the matchup against Carolina before leaving with his injury.
“You’re definitely going to miss Drake,” Morris said. “Obviously, he’s been super productive. He’s been outstanding for us all year. He’s an emotional leader for us. He’s our barnyard bully. He’s a tough guy, and he certainly will be missed.”
The Falcons have faced several injuries on offense throughout the season. Starting right tackle Kaleb McGary has not played since training camp ended, while left guard Matthew Bergeron has missed two consecutive games. Wide receiver Darnell Mooney also missed time after being injured in training camp and starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. sat out Week 8 with a bone bruise on his knee.
If London remains sidelined, Morris indicated that other players will need to step up in his absence.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in David Sills going out there and being able to step up for us and doing some really good things,” Morris said. “We’ve got to get [Darnell] Mooney to bounce back and do a lot of things for us that we want him to do. Obviously, Kyle Pitts plays a factor into that receiver room. Bijan [Robinson] plays a factor into that receiver room, some of the things he’s able to do. We’ve got a bunch of people that need some opportunities, and they’ll get them. We’ll find out about a lot of our guys this week.”
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
