The Atlanta Falcons have been doing well as their 4-4 record gives them the lead in the NFC South heading into Week 9. However, they are going to be without one of their top offensive weapons in wide receiver Drake London for this game as he is recovering from a groin injury.
Falcons ruled out WR Drake London for Sunday’s game vs. the Vikings due to his groin injury.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 3, 2023
London left last week’s game against the Tennessee Titans early with the injury and has not practiced this week. He has been the top receiver for the Atlanta Falcons this season as he has 37 receptions on 57 targets for 438 yards (11.8 yards per catch) with a pair of touchdowns. This makes things difficult for the Atlanta Falcons new starting quarterback Taylor Heinicke.
This Falcons team has a decent remaining schedule where they can be in the race for the NFC South. This is going to be interesting to see how the game plan looks against the Minnesota Vikings looks this week.
What will the Atlanta Falcons do offensively without Drake London?
The Atlanta Falcons have been dependent on the receiving production from the USC Trojans product as London has been their top wide receiver. Expect Taylor Heinicke to look in the direction of tight end Kyle Pitts and wide receiver Van Jefferson more on some short routes to get open against this Vikings defense.
However, one thing that is likely is the fact they will lean on the running game and defense to pick up the potential Week 9 win here. Look for the three-headed monster of Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier and Cordarelle Patterson to make a mark in this game as the Atlanta Falcons have essentially been 50/50 in terms of running and passing plays this season.
Their offense likely will not have to score many points this week with the Vikings team is starting Jaren Hall after Kirk Cousins suffered a torn Achilles tendon last week so there is a lot of pressure put on the rookie here. This is a very winnable game, even without Drake London on the field.
Taylor Heinicke has been a serviceable quarterback throughout his young career and looked decently well coming off the bench last week. He finished against the Tennessee Titans 12-of-21 for 175 yards with a passing touchdown. Expect him with a week of working with the starters to play better and do well with this offense.
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