Michael Penix Jr. Has Unlocked Drake London’s Superstar Ceiling

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Michael Penix Jr. Has Unlocked Drake London’s Superstar Ceiling

Originally posted on TWSN | By Marissa Myers | Last updated Oct 2, 2026 5:12 PM ET

Drake London and Michael Penix Jr. Are the NFL’s Next Great Duo

It didn’t take weeks for Michael Penix Jr. to get back into the swing of things with playing for the Atlanta Falcons after having suffered a torn ACL last season. Rather, it only took Penix Jr a few drives to look comfortable again in their Week 3 win over the Green Bay Packers.

In addition to Penix Jr. looking great again, he also helped uplift one of his teammates who had been struggling to look better, and that was Drake London.

Michael Penix Jr. Changes Drake London’s Season in One Game

In the game against the Packers, London caught nine of his 10 targets for a career-high 194 yards. Most notably was the fact that London also climbed to the second-most yards per route run after the game with 3.86 yards.

After just one game with Michael Penix, Drake London is now second among WRs in yards per route run among WRs with 50+ routes this season.

(also yea JSN is nuts) pic.twitter.com/HpHs00Kauc
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) September 28, 2026

Entering the game, London had just six receptions for 80 yards across two weeks, showing that the connection he and Penix Jr. have is something that can’t easily be replaced.

Now, the challenge going forward for Atlanta will be to make sure they continue to have London featured in ways that maximize his strengths more to help Penix Jr. They can’t return to a conservative passing game, and London needs to continue to see double-digit targets.

London is entering his prime, and Penix Jr. fits what Atlanta wants on offense. Together, they showed they need respect as a top duo based on their connection, but the Falcons need to lean into that for the offense to stay productive.

This article first appeared on TWSN and was syndicated with permission.

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