NFL Overreactions Week 11
USAT’s Prince Grimes breaks down the biggest storylines from NFL Week 11.
Sports Seriously
A month ago, the Atlanta Falcons were riding high from a dominant win over the Buffalo Bills on “Monday Night Football.” A big win following their bye in prime time set the stage for what looked to be a solid shot at the NFC South crown.
They haven’t won a game since then.
Atlanta’s latest loss came in overtime to divisional foe Carolina – their second overtime loss in a row. The Panthers racked up 419 passing yards on the day, the most allowed by what’s been a stout Falcons pass defense this season. It took a Zane Gonzalez field goal inside the final minute to force overtime in the first place.
Atlanta’s fifth straight loss was a costly one, personnel-wise. Second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. suffered a knee injury that took him out of the game. He’ll have to have season-ending surgery on his ACL to repair a sprain.
Wide receiver Drake London is enjoying the best year of his career to this point but also left Sunday’s game against Carolina late with a knee injury. He’s been a top-10 receiver by most statistics this year and will be a major hit to the Falcons’ offense if he’s out for an extended period of time.
Here’s the latest on his injury.
When will Drake London return?
Tests on Monday revealed London’s injury, a PCL sprain, isn’t severe enough to put the top wideout on injured reserve (IR). Instead, coach Raheem Morris said that London will be week-to-week and will not take the field Sunday for the Falcons’ Week 12 game against New Orleans on the road.
Morris said that London could push to play the Saints this week, but “sometimes you have to protect Drake from Drake,” per team reporter Will McFadden.
Raheem Morris says that when he says week to week with Drake London it’s “hopefully next week.” But adds that Drake is probably going to be raring to go by Saturday, and that “sometimes you have to protect Drake from Drake.”
— Will McFadden (@willmcfadden) November 19, 2025
Atlanta faces New Orleans in Week 12 and stays on the road for a Week 13 game against the New York Jets. That may be the soonest Falcons fans will see London back in action.
Through 10 games this season, London’s tallied 60 receptions for 810 yards and six touchdowns on 94 targets, all team-highs. His 90 receiving yards per game are a career high.
Falcons WR depth chart
Here’s a look at who the Falcons will have at wide receiver without London on Sunday:
Mooney dealt with injuries that kept him out of multiple games earlier this year, but he may have a larger role in the offense now that London and Penix are both injured. Hodge has seen limited action this year but should get a bigger role with London sidelined.
All the players and the plays: Sign up for USA TODAY’s 4th and Monday newsletter for exclusive NFL analysis.