Drake London Leads Charge as Atlanta Falcons' Young Trio Stars vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Atlanta Falcons are watching receiver Drake London grow up right before the eyes, while running back Bijan Robinson is on pace to set a new franchise record and tight end Kyle Pitts continues to get closer to his former self.

As Drake London and Kyle Pitts stood in the bottom right corner of the endzone with arms raised and knees twisting, thousands of fans inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium erupted.

London had just hauled in his eighth reception of Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, securing a two-point conversion and giving the Atlanta Falcons a 25-22 lead with just over three minutes to play.

Pitts and rookie running back Bijan Robinson had already found paydirt and enjoyed their own individual celebrations. London finalized the trifecta.

In this moment, everything Falcons coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot dreamed of when spending three consecutive top-10 draft picks on offensive playmakers had been realized.

“You’re seeing a lot of these young guys, and everybody gets involved - that’s kind of where we want to be,” Smith said. “Drake had a heck of a game. It was good to see Kyle going. Bijan in the run and the pass. So, that’s trending in the right direction.”

But, as Smith proceeded to say, the Falcons came up short, failing to make enough plays in all three phase and walking off the field with a 29-25 loss to the Buccaneers.

London's walk was slower than others. For several minutes after the game, he stayed in the same spot where he'd been tackled on the final play, soaking in a painful reminder he was three yards shy of victory.

That's the memory that'll stick with London, but he created many others over the course of the afternoon. He set new career highs with 10 receptions for 172 yards, pushing himself into a tie for No. 24 overall in franchise history for single game receiving yards.

“It was a lot of good,” Smith said. “Certainly, the production, (when) the ball is in the air and some of the routes he ran, he’s a unique player. That’s why we drafted him where we did. I think he fits us.”

The 6-4, 213-pound London made perhaps the biggest play in Atlanta's comeback effort, hauling in a leaping, under-cutting 45-yard reception to start the penultimate drive and set up a go-ahead score.

"Such a glamorous catch!" @DrakeLondon_

📺: #TBvsATL on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/pWMED8SAQa pic.twitter.com/EwHKeufdHK

— NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2023

It was a highlight-reel grab likely to be played time and again in years to come, but London's value to Atlanta goes deeper than his career best day on the box score.

Smith has often been complimentary of London's intensity as a blocker and the attention he warrants from defensive backs on the perimeter, even when the numbers aren't there.

In Week 14, the numbers were present - and so was the same intangible characteristics Smith feels makes London fit in Atlanta.

“Sometimes you look at receiver numbers, and maybe seven or eight catches, and then let’s call it the other 65 plays aren’t productive,” Smith said. “I’d argue every play Drake’s out there, whether he has the ball or not, he makes an impact.”

London's big day arose from a combination of factors, including Atlanta's offensive line being forced to mix and match parts due to injuries and the defensive looks Tampa Bay provided.

Already entering Sunday without a pair of starters in center Drew Dalman and right tackle Kaleb McGary, matters grew worse for the Falcons when left tackle Jake Matthews went down with a knee injury.

Just before halftime, Atlanta lost right guard Chris Lindstrom, and suddenly, the offensive line that had seen the same five start all but one game together was down to just one healthy starter - left guard Matthew Bergeron.

Lindstrom only missed one series, but he and Bergeron were the lone starting offensive lineman on the field in the second half.

Smith felt backups Storm Norton, Kyle Hinton, Ryan Neuzil and Tyler Vrabel played well, but Tampa Bay nonetheless tried to attack the group.

The Buccaneers played more zero pressure, meaning they blitzed everybody except for those in coverage. It's designed to stop the run game, which is something the Minnesota Vikings threw at Atlanta five weeks earlier.

This schematic approach worked as Tampa Bay hoped, as Atlanta mustered only 96 rushing yards, over 35 yards less than its season average entering the contest.

But the Falcons took advantage of the opportunity zero pressure produces - the ball came out quicker, aggression grew high, different offensive actions were shown and there were more one-on-one opportunities on the outside.

London, who briefly doubled as a college basketball player at USC, knew the paint was packed and capitalized.

“We needed to win outside, and we won outside,” Smith said. “That’s where a lot of those big plays were. So, that was really cool to see.”

With four games still to play, London sits with 56 receptions for 745 yards and two touchdowns. He's on pace to have 80 catches for 1,056 yards by season's end, breaking last year's totals of 72 for 866, though he had four scores in his rookie campaign.

Smith said leading into Sunday he believed London was having "a heck of a season," even if his production has varied from week to week.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London (5) celebrates after a two-point conversion with tight end Kyle Pitts (8) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

He's not alone in enjoying a successful year, as Robinson's logged 169 carries for 790 yards and four touchdowns on the ground while adding 40 receptions for 320 yards and three more scores through the air.

With 1,110 yards from scrimmage, Robinson trails only Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua in total yards amongst rookies, as Nacua sits at 1,113 receiving yards.

Robinson is chasing Tyler Allgeier's 1,035 rushing yards and William Andrews' 1,332 yards from scrimmage as the top marks in franchise history.

At his current pace, Robinson will finish the season with 1,034 rushing yards and 1,452 yards from scrimmage, meaning he'd be just shy of Allgeier's title but would clear Andrews by a considerable margin.

Pitts knows a thing or two about rookie records, holding the second-most receiving yards by a first-year tight end with 1,026 in 2021.

The past two years have been frustrating and injury-riddled, as his torn MCL in Week 11 of 2022 lingered into the early weeks of this season.

Smith feels Pitts is still progressing every week, getting closer to where he was health-wise before his injury and clearing the mental hurdles that followed suit.

Against the Buccaneers, Pitts hauled in three receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown, with the 36-yard score setting a new career long.

Pitts, 23, hasn't quite returned to his past level of production but is nonetheless having a steady campaign, catching 44 passes for 549 yards and two touchdowns on 74 targets. He's second on the team in targets, receptions and receiving yards.

Smith has praised Pitts' work ethic and consistency in his rehab, even while results haven't always followed. Like with London, Smith loves what Pitts brings off the field as much as on it.

Throughout the entirety of Atlanta's young core, there's no panic - and the on-field explosiveness has flashed, with the Falcons being one of just three teams with five games above 400 yards of offense.

Scoring hasn't always followed, as Atlanta sits at No. 24 with an average of 19.3 points per game. This past Sunday, there were a pair of missed field goals. Redzone turnovers and an overall lack of execution have also sprouted up at various points.

But there's real belief in what's been built in Atlanta's weaponry, and following Sunday's performance - with a combined 28 touches for 317 yards and two touchdowns - there's substance, too.

“There’s a lot of progress,” Smith said. “We’ve invested in these young guys, and we have to continue to work. This opportunity, let’s finish this thing and build off of it. Let’s fix these things that have costed us from getting 30-plus and consistently staying in rhythm.”

The Falcons (6-7) will enter Sunday's 1 p.m. EST kickoff on the road against the Carolina Panthers (1-12) knowing the stakes.

They're locked in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC South, with hopes of ending a six-year playoff drought on the line. Carolina's lost six consecutive games and fired coach Frank Reich two weeks ago.

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Opportunity exists, but Atlanta has to capitalize ... and its young core, fresh off perhaps its best overall showing to date, will be forced into the spotlight with the weight of the city on its shoulders.

“This is the most important game of the season,” Smith said. “So, we have to make sure we play really well and eliminate the couple of plays that have stopped us from taking the next step.”