Commanders cannot sleep on underused Falcons star despite quiet start

The Washington Commanders don't want to be the ones who allow a misused Atlanta Falcons star to come to life in Week 4, but it could happen because of a significant problem posed by the dormant playmaker.

It's towering wide receiver Drake London, who can wreck a Washington defensive backfield beset by injuries. Those personnel problems pose the question: Who exactly is best suited to covering the wide receiver at Mercedes-Benz Stadium?

The question isn't an easy one to answer, despite the Commanders still having three competent starting cornerbacks. Rookie Trey Amos is already showing out, while second-year pro Mike Sainristil remains versatile and physical. Still, veteran Marshon Lattimore has yet to return to the form that made him a four-time Pro Bowler with the New Orleans Saints.

This is a potent trio on paper, but the Falcons present an underrated challenge, thanks to numbers of their own. Namely, how London is ably supported by a sneaky good deep threat, Darnell Mooney, along with Joker-style move tight end Kyle Pitts Sr.

Strength in numbers can help Commanders contain Drake London

Finding the right matchups would be easier if the Commanders hadn't lost multi-faceted safety Will Harris for the season, nor sent Super Bowl winner Jonathan Jones to injured reserve. Those setbacks mean defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. and his staff will have to get creative with their coverage assignments.

The Commanders can't be fooled by the upheaval Atlanta is dealing with at receiver. Upheaval, summed up by receivers coach Ike Hilliard, who once was a rising assistant in Washington, was let go after the team's shutout loss to the lowly Carolina Panthers.

Hilliard had coached London to a 100-catch, 1,271-receiving yard season in 2024, so the threat is still apparent. It may even be heightened now that passing game coordinator T.J. Yates will take on his role, while offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is leaving the booth and calling plays from the sideline.

One of Robinson's main tasks will be to devise ways for London to utilize his 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame in physical mismatches against the Commanders' depleted secondary. The wideout's frame and muscle have helped make him a contested-catch machine, like for this circus grab against the Panthers last season.

The Commanders don't have anybody who can credibly challenge London for the ball in these moments. Not Sainristil, who's only 5-foot-10 and also struggling to adapt to a more nuanced role this season.

Lattimore is handsy enough to get into a few scraps with London, despite the 29-year-old seemingly being an ideal candidate to duke it out with Pitts. Having the Ohio State product trail and press a roaming tight end looks like a good way to streamline his game and help get him back on track. However, the Commanders have more suitable resources for handling Pitts, such as hybrid safety Percy Butler and the versatile Tyler Owens.

What the Commanders need from Lattimore is to help double London. Putting a bracket around the most talented wideout on Atlanta's roster will force struggling quarterback Michael Penix Jr. away from his safety valve.

Penix and London burned the Commanders for seven catches and 106 receiving yards in Week 17 last season, so Whitt needs to deter any early connections this time. The best way to do that is to show a pre-snap look of Lattimore in press, with a safety over the top.

Keeping London bracketed this way will be easier if the Commanders assign Amos, the cornerback standout through three games, to cover the Falcons' No. 2 receiver. That's a matchup win.

The plan may put too much onus on Lattimore underneath, but it's the smart way to render London a non-factor and leave the Falcons one-dimensional. That's a risk worth taking, even though running back Bijan Robinson is a star, but the Commanders can't ignore those misused but gifted Falcons pass-catchers.

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