The Atlanta Falcons just had a major victory against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football, shocking many fans given that LA has an excellent team. It was a plus for Atlanta because the season hasn’t gone that well for them, but it’s a win.
With the last game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday approaching, a question is raised about whether star wide receiver Drake London should play, given that he’s recovering from a knee injury.
What Happened To Drake London?
Drake London sustained a knee injury in Week 11 of the regular season vs. the Carolina Panthers. He was injured late in the game and did not return. The diagnosis was a PCL sprain in his left knee. The injury kept London out of play for four straight games. Atlanta went 2-2 in the games that he was absent.
London’s status was week-to-week for some time, and then it was downgraded to day-to-day, but he rarely practiced.
Leading up to their Week 16 game against the Arizona Cardinals, it was reported by Tori McElhaney of the official team site that London spoke on wanting to get on the field, saying, “I want to get back out there quick as possible. But everything is going smoothly. I’ve been making good strides and leaps. That’s all I can ask for.”
London made his return against the Cardinals that week but didn’t have much of an impact, catching three passes for 27 yards. Some even speculated that London didn’t look quite the same and appeared to be injured still.
Should the Falcons Shut down London For Week 18?
Drake London has played in two games since returning from injury. One of which was against Arizona in Week 16, and the other was against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17. Against the Rams, London had one catch for four yards. The Falcons won that game 27 to 24, but London’s impact was minimal, targeting him only twice. But it was reported that he was on a pitch count.
Now they face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Since the Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention following their loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14, they no longer have much to play for other than pride and the love of the game, which is more than enough for most.
It’s clear that London doesn’t look the same as he did before he was injured. To prevent further injury and with no chance of making the playoffs, they need to shut the wide receiver down for Week 18.
Through 17 Weeks of the season, London has 64 catches for 841 yards and six touchdowns, ranking him 18th for the season on PFSN’s Wide Receiver Impact rankings.
