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Drake London, JuJu Smith-Schuster Score Touchdowns In Sunday Night Football Showdown

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster both shined on the Sunday Night Football stage. The former USC Trojans both hauled in touchdown receptions for their teams.

Kyron Samuels

Sep 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London (5) celebrates his touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Sep 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London (5) celebrates his touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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The 1-1 Atlanta Falcons hosted the 2-0, defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football. The primetime match-up delivered as the game went down to the wire resulting in a 22-17 Kansas City Chiefs victory. 

A pair of former USC Trojans stole the show at wide receiver. Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster both rose to the occasion on the main stage.

London was superb for the Falcons hauling in six receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. London, who caught the game-winning touchdown against the Eagles last week, has put together two back-to-back impressive games.

Smith-Schuster, although limited in production, made one of the biggest plays of the game for the Chiefs with a 13-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Patrick Mahomes to give the Chiefs a 22-14 lead in the second half. Smith-Schuster finished the game with two receptions for 17 yards and a touchdown. 

London is off to a hot start this season. In Atlanta's win over the Philadelphia Eagles last week, London also had the game-winning catch. However, after the great play, London celebrated with a gun-like finger point aimed toward the sky. The NFL issued a $14,069 fine to London for unsportsmanlike conduct/violent gesture.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris spoke to London's character.

"Drake is a great kid, and his intent was not as a use of a weapon," Morris said Tuesday. "He probably was shooting T-shirts into the stands, to be honest with you, because he's just that kind of a guy, but he was excited. He got excited.

"He's one of those guys that plays with great energy. He immediately apologized on site before I could even get a chance to correct him."

London then apologized again publicly to reporters.

"There’s a lot of stuff going around in the world with gun violence that I don’t think I should have displayed there," London said. "So, I’m not too happy with it, and you probably won’t see that again from me."

Both London and Smith-Schuster are players to monitor throughout this season as they both have been key pieces of their offense. The former Trojans are primed to have a lasting impact on two solid NFL teams. 

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Kyron Samuels
KYRON SAMUELS

Kyron Samuels is a former college and professional football player now a writer, analyst, & digital host. Kyron is a writer for USC Trojans on SI and contributes to Oregon Ducks on SI. A graduate and letterman at Jacksonville State University, Samuels was a three-year starter, two-time all-conference, and won three consecutive conference titles. After a four-year professional stint between the AFL & XFL, Samuels retired from football. In 2022, Samuels was inducted into the Fairhope Athletic Hall of Fame. Post-playing career, Samuels has become a credentialed sports media member covering the NFL, UFL, USFL, & college football. The NFL Combine, Reese’s Senior Bowl, & East-West Shrine Bowl are amongst the events Kyron has covered. As a guest and host, Samuels has been featured on ESPNRadio, FoxSportsRadio, & IHeartRadio. Outside of sports media, Samuels works as a scouting consultant and has experience coaching at the collegiate level.

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