The Atlanta Falcons aren’t exactly having a ton of fun on the field right now.
Drake London’s wallet likely isn’t having a good time, either, given the fact that he has now been fined by the NFL twice this month.
The latest fine was actually handed down before the Falcons’ Week 10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. So London was both a little lacking in his bank account and then on the wrong side of the scoreboard this weekend.
Here’s a quick look at the London fine, that came from the Falcons’ loss in Spain to the Cincinnati Bengals.
NFL Fines Drake London
The NFL fined London $23,882 for his actions in Madrid.
He was punished for lowering his helmet at the end of a catch-and-run play on the outside.
Here’s the video (and at this link if it doesn’t display):
London appears to be doing what many football folks would describe as “finishing the play,” but the NFL is cracking down on such finishes that involve leading with the helmet.
It cost London a fascinating amount, but the fines are all determined in some way based off of a player’s salary for a given week and some fraction of that, so that’s how the NFL arrives at such an odd number.
It won’t bankrupt London, but it’s likely frustrating for him to get fined on a play he probably didn’t even view as being particularly questionable.
Bad Stretch for Falcons
London’s fine was sandwiched between that loss in Madrid and then the brutal 35-13 loss on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Falcons’ defense was at fault in a lot of ways, allowing 35 points to a Chiefs offense that didn’t have Kenneth Walker — but Patrick Mahomes threw five touchdowns to remind everyone just how good he is.
But the offense only scored 13 points. That was never going to be good enough to beat an Andy Reid-led offense, no matter who was actually on the field for the Chiefs.
London can’t do it all by himself, and the Falcons had an odd first-half gameplan in which they didn’t give Bijan Robinson the ball enough.
Atlanta fell to 3-7, though, and that’s the reality here. The circumstances can’t matter for the Falcons. They simply have to find ways to make smart plays and win football games. If they can’t start doing that soon, this season could get away from them.
NFL Gives Falcons WR Drake London $23,882 Punishment