Falcons Do Vikings No Favors with 1st Drake London, Darnell Mooney Update for Week 2

The Minnesota Vikings are coming off a season-opening win against the Chicago Bears on Monday night, but must now turn their attention to Week 2. The Vikings will be coming home to a fan base that will be jacked up after quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s fourth-quarter comeback when they square off with an Atlanta Falcons team that has playoff aspirations.

The Falcons come into U.S. Bank Stadium looking to avenge their season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but preparing for them won’t be as simple as watching the tape. Atlanta is sorting out the status of top receivers Drake London and Darnell Mooney, and after head coach Raheem Morris’s press conference, it appears the Falcons won’t be doing the Vikings any favors this Sunday.

Raheem Morris Sounds Like WRs Drake London, Darnell Mooney Will Play vs. Vikings

Morris addressed the media on Wednesday morning and sounded optimistic that London and Mooney will play against the Vikings on Sunday. After Mooney missed the opening game with a right shoulder injury, Morris told reporters that he’ll practice on Wednesday and his status will be determined by how the week goes in practice.

“They’ll be going and giving us an opportunity, and we’ll see as far as Mooney and (tight end Clay Agnew) and all those things,” Morris said. “But get him out to practice and that’s always fun, putting them back into all the stuff that we’ve been doing, and we’re gonna look (and) see toward the end of the week and see what they’ve got going on.”

Morris sounded similarly upbeat when talking about the status of London, who suffered a shoulder sprain late in last week’s loss to the Bucs.

"Drake is ultimately tough, and he is what he is. We know Drake. I do expect him to play. That’s not saying that he is, but when you as me ‘Do I expect him to play?’ Of course, you know, Drake’s an ultimate tough guy. When he says he’s gonna go practice, that usually tells you a lot.”"

- Falcons HC Raheem Morris

Getting Mooney and London into the lineup would make things challenging for the Vikings' defense. Minnesota had a slow start against Caleb Williams on Monday night, as the Bears' star QB completed his first nine passes and completed 13-of-16 passes for 112 yards with a rushing score. Flores’ group tightened things up from there, holding Williams to 8-of-19 passes for 98 yards and a late touchdown in the second half to secure the victory.

While the Bears were led by former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, the Falcons should give Minnesota a tougher test. Atlanta QB Michael Penix Jr. completed 27-of-42 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown against the Buccaneers, and London had eight catches for 55 yards on a team-high 15 targets before leaving with a shoulder injury. 

Adding Mooney, who caught 64 passes for 992 yards and five touchdowns last season, to the mix makes Atlanta more explosive and gives the Vikings defense a big challenge they were hoping to avoid in their home opener.

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