Falcons are only NFL team with two 500-yard wide receivers

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons have a new dynamic duo at the wide receiver position.

Thanks to Drake London and Darnell Mooney, the Falcons are the only team in the NFL with two wide receivers who have at least 500 yards receiving. London is at 525, and Mooney is at an even 500 through the first eight weeks of the 2024 season.

“Really, we’re on a tandem bike,” London said. “Honestly, whatever we can do to make the team better, whatever we can do to make explosive plays or just make secure plays, we’re definitely doing that, and we’re trying to keep on reaching new heights everyday.”

So far, London and Mooney have differentiated the Falcons from other offenses around the league. They’ve pedaled Atlanta to the top spot in at least one offensive stat.

The next-closest team is the Houston Texans with wide receivers Nico Collins (567 yards receiving) and Stefon Diggs (496). Diggs, however, is out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, so his number will remain as-is.

Then, it’s the Baltimore Ravens with wide receivers Zay Flowers (527 yards receiving) and Rashod Bateman (422).

So, the Falcons are successfully sharing the love between London and Mooney better than any other team with its top two wide receivers.

“Both guys, first and foremost, are very smart football players, very unselfish, willing to do whatever it takes to win the game, and so that’s always fun,” Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said. “Then, just their skill sets match up so well to complement each other. Whether they’re on the same side of the field, whether they’re on opposite sides of the field, whether they’re on opposite sides of the field to start and then motion to be on the same side, there’s a lot of options with those guys.”

London has been in Atlanta since 2022, when the Falcons brought him in with the eighth-overall draft pick. With a 65.6 yards-per-game average entering Week 9, London is on track for 1,116 receiving yards, which would put him over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. He came close last year, with a career-best 905.

Mooney, meanwhile, was an offseason acquisition for the Falcons. He spent the first four years of his career with the Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the fifth round of 2020. Mooney is averaging 62.5 receiving yards per game and is on track for 1,062 at season’s end. It would be the second time he reaches that threshold. His single-season high currently stands at 1,055 yards receiving, which he set in 2021.

“Drake is the big-body mover, has always been that kind of guy (with) contested catches, and also been able to put some stuff down the field this year that’s been really looking good,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. “But, when you went out and got Mooney, there was no secret, I think we talked about it earlier in the offseason, about wanting a need for speed.”

Perhaps because of their differences and unique talents, London and Mooney have combined for nine of the Falcons’ 14 receiving touchdowns. London has been responsible for five. Mooney, four.

Those numbers don’t matter as much as the Falcons’ 5-3 record, mainly because it’s not a competition between the two.

“It’s amazing,” London said. “I learn every day from him. He sees stuff that I don’t see. I see stuff that he doesn’t see. Honestly, we’re working together.”