INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Falcons rookie receiver Drake London helped to carry the offense and lead an improbable comeback bid against the defending Super Bowl champion Rams on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
Down 28-3, the Falcons stormed back before losing 31-27.
It would have been the greatest comeback in franchise history, topping two 21-point comebacks in 1983 under the direction of quarterback Steve Bartkowski and coach Dan Henning.
London was targeted 12 times and caught eight passes for 86 yards and his first NFL touchdown and two-point conversion.
“That’s definitely us right there,” said London, who played at nearby USC. “That’s what we need to keep being, day in and day out.”
London’s 4-yard touchdown pass with 3:20 left in the third quarter started the comeback and made it 28-10.
“It was a quick stick route,” London said. “I have faith in (quarterback Marcus) Mariota to put it in there and keep me safe and score a touchdown.”
The Falcons started surging after the Rams made a field goal to make it 31-10.
They added an 11-yard touchdown catch from Olamide Zaccheaus and got their first blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown since they did in the Miracle at Lambeau game in the 2003 playoffs. “Everything it just lit (the sidelines) up,” London said. “It was the spark that we needed. It came late, but we needed it for sure.”
The Falcons’ defense got the offense the ball back, but they couldn’t score to pull out the victory.
“Every day that is what coach Arthur (Smith) preaches,” London said. “We are going to keep fighting. We are going to keep going until we figure this thing out.”
London, who was the eighth player taken in the 2022 NFL draft, caught five passes for 74 yards in the 27-26 loss to the Saints.
“I wouldn’t say that it’s been easy at all,” London said. “There is a lot of work that goes into it. A lot of detail. Persistence. But other than that, this team makes me feel comfortable out there.”
London missed most of the exhibition season with a knee injury.
“They gave me all the confidence in the world to go be myself out there,” London said. “That’s why I appreciate this program and this ballclub.”
London is from Moorpark, which is about an hour away.
“Obviously, that was fun,” London said of his touchdown catch. “Getting my first touchdown in front of my family. In front of my home crowd. But at the end of the day, we lost. We are trying to win in this league. That’s all that matters, right? So, we have some stuff to clean up. We have a lot to do. We’re going to get to it.”
He wasn’t sure how many folks made the trip.
“I couldn’t tell you,” London said.
As teams have double-teamed tight end Kyle PItts, Mariota has leaned on the rookie.
“Drake is going to continue to learn,” Mariota said. “He’s going to continue to grow. But he’s done a great job for us. With that being said, we’ve got to continue to find ways to spread the ball around because I think we’ve got a great group.”
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The Bow Tie Chronicles
Atlanta Falcons 2022 NFL schedule
Sept. 11: Saints 27, Falcons 26
Sept. 18: Rams 31, Falcons 27
Sept. 25 at Seattle, 4:25 p.m.
Oct. 2 vs. Cleveland, 1 p.m.
Oct. 9 at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Oct. 16 vs. San Francisco, 1 p.m.
Oct. 23 at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Oct. 30 vs. Carolina, 1 p.m.
Nov. 6 vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 1 p.m.
Nov. 10 at Carolina, 8:15 p.m.
Nov. 20 vs. Chicago, 1 p.m.
Nov. 27 at Washington, 1 p.m.
Dec. 4 vs. Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.
BYE WEEK
Dec. 18 at New Orleans, TBD
Dec. 24 at Baltimore, 1 p.m.
Jan. 1 vs. Arizona, 1 p.m.
Jan. 8 vs. Tampa Bay, TBD
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