Bucs dodge a huge bullet on the eve crucial showdown with Falcons on Thursday night
The Falcons’ primary weapon in their passing game will be out on Thursday.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are getting a big boost to their offense, as Jalen McMillan and Mike Evans appear set to return to the field on Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Bucs announced on Wednesday that both are being activated off of injured reserve.
However, the news got worse for Falcons fans and better for the Bucs on Wednesday afternoon. According to ESPN Falcons beat reporter Marc Raimondi, star wide receiver Drake London has been ruled out for Thursday night by the Falcons.
Atlanta WR Drake London to miss Thursday night’s game against the Bucs
London has been on the shelf for weeks now while dealing with a knee injury he suffered in a 30-27 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers back on November 16. He was on a heater going into that game, as he had totaled 100+ receiving yards in 5 of last 6 games with 6 receiving touchdowns.
London had shown a strong rapport with Michael Penix, Jr. in those games, and while the latter is also out with a knee injury, London would have been a matchup nightmare for the Bucs even with Kirk Cousins under center, who seems to always get over on Tampa Bay whenever he squares off against them.
In his place, Darnell Mooney will continue as the Falcons’ top receiver. Tight end Kyle Pitts should also be heavily involved in the Falcons’ passing attack. Pitts was the Falcons’ top receiver last weekend in a 37-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, turning 10 targets into 6 catches and 90 receiving yards. Pitts also let all Falcons pass catchers the previous week against the Jets, catching 7 of 8 targets for 82 yards. As such, the Bucs will have to account for Pitts in an even bigger way on Thursday night.
But there’s no doubt that London’s absence will continue to have an enormous impact on the Falcons’ offensive gameplan. And where the Bucs need to find any way to win a game that they simply have to have, it’s a massive edge they sorely need.
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