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Greg Auman
NFC South Reporter
What was at least statistically the best day of Drake London’s young NFL career ended cruelly enough Sunday with the Falcons receiver just 3 yards short of the end zone and what would have been a game-winning touchdown.
London did not get to the end zone in Atlanta’s 29-25 loss to the Bucs, but he finished with 10 catches for 172 yards — both career highs, the latter by 47 yards — in quarterback Desmond Ridder’s most prolific passing day in 16 career starts.
“Drake obviously played his butt off out there,” Ridder said Sunday. “You know, early on, obviously just getting a bunch of one-on-ones and then at some point you’ve got to heat-check him, which we did late and just gave him a ball which he could go get. He soared up higher than others and was able to go get it. Drake is a heck of a competitor, heck of a player. Obviously, he wanted that last one more than anyone.”
London, the No. 8 pick in last year’s draft out of USC, had big plays all day long Sunday: 26 yards on the opening drive, 22 on another early, and then a 45-yard catch down the sideline to set up the Falcons’ go-ahead touchdown with 3:23 left, with London catching the two-point conversion.
“Des just trusted me. He put it up there,” London said of his longest catch of 2023. “He has trust in me, and I have trust in him. It’s my job to come down with it.”
A week earlier, the Bucs defense had faced nearly the same play late in the game, with Panthers receiver Adam Thielen running down the same sideline, a step ahead of corner Carlton Davis, and safety Antoine Winfield saw the deep pass coming and picked it off to seal Tampa Bay’s win. This time, Winfield covered the same ground, but the 6-foot-4 London made an acrobatic leaping catch in front of him for the 45-yard gain.
“Oh, man, that was a great catch by him,” Winfield said after the game. “I saw the ball thrown and I’m like, ‘I’m about to get this one.’ I honestly…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/falcons-wr-drake-london-despite-career-best-day-still-seeking-tds
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Publish date : 2023-12-13 16:51:48
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