The Atlanta Falcons had a disappointing loss against the Miami Dolphins in Week 8, and they were without two of their key pieces on offense. Michael Penix Jr. suffered a bone bruise the week before that caused him to miss the game, and Drake London popped up on the injury reports days before the game and was ruled out.
With a matchup against the New England Patriots coming up this week, head coach Raheem Morris had a positive update for both of his offensive stars, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.
“Falcons HC Raheem Morris still considers QB Michael Penix Jr. day-to-day but says he feels good about him. Morris says Penix and WR Drake London feel better this week than last,” Garafolo wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
That's good news for the Falcons, especially as they are set to face a strong Patriots' defense. Against the Dolphins, Kirk Cousins was inserted as the starter and couldn't find any rhythm throughout the game to help the Falcons put points on the board. That led the receiving core to not get many targets besides Kyle Pitts Sr.
Penix and London have a good connection with each other, and when they're on the field together, good things seem to happen for the Falcons most of the time.
Unfortunately, the Falcons' offense has been very underwhelming on the road, as they've only scored two touchdowns so far this season. For a team that has a lot of talent on that side of the ball, it's not the best stat when they're not scoring enough.
It felt like the Falcons hit rock bottom when they were blown out 34-10 at home against a Dolphins team that has struggled all season, but Morris guaranteed that the locker room would stay together.
“That's the easy part,” Morris said after the game via team reporter Terrin Waack. “For us, these guys are together. The locker room will stay together. They will stay bonded.”
It will be interesting to see if the Falcons can get back on track against the Patriots, but the first order of business is to get Penix and London on the field. If they can turn things around sooner rather than later, there is still hope for the season
