FLOWERY BRANCH — With eight yards receiving for Darnell Mooney, the Falcons will have two thousand-yard receivers for the first time since 2012.
Mooney and Drake London will be key when the Falcons (8-8) face the Panthers (4-12) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“I feel like that would mean a lot for those guys,” Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. said. “Those guys work. They deserve it.”
Penix believes he can help Mooney get the necessary yardage if he plays. Mooney is questionable for the game with a shoulder injury.
“Yeah, he’ll get that,” Penix said. “I mean, it’ll be special, it’s great. Those guys put in a lot of work all season. Also in the offseason, you know, them in that chemistry with (quarterback) Kirk (Cousins) throughout these first couple weeks, and man, they’re rolling. Those are two good guys and I feel like they’re some of the best in the league, so they deserve it.”
Mooney, who signed during free agency after five seasons with the Bears, has 64 catches for 992 yards and five touchdowns. London has 90 catches for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns.
The duo can be the first to accomplish that feat since Roddy White and Julio Jones did it in the 2012 season. White had 92 catches for 1,351 yards and seven touchdowns and Jones has 79 catches for 1,198 and 10 touchdowns.
That season the Falcons went to the NFC Championship game.
In 1995, working out of the run-and-shoot under coach June Jones, the Falcons had three thousand-yard wide receivers.
Eric Metcalf had 104 catches for 1,187 yards and eight touchdowns. Terance Mathis, currently the head coach at Morehouse, caught 78 catches for 1,039 yards and nine touchdowns. Bert Emanuel had 74 catches for 1,039 yards and five touchdowns.
London and Mooney are just starting to get their timing down with Penix, who took over for Cousins two games ago.
“Just throwing the ball at practice pretty much,” London said. “I keep on reiterating to him that it’s only been, now after this game, it’s only been eight quarters that we’ve played together. ... I think that later down the road, it’s going to be really fun around here.”
Penix has been placed in a tough situation of trying to win games with receivers he hasn’t worked with a lot. He was running the scout team until the Falcons decided to make a change at quarterback.
“He’s an absolute dog,” London said. “That goes with everybody on the offense. I’m not going to say too much because they know themselves. … He’s an absolute dog. He stays poised. You may not see it, but he’s got that ... in his eyes for sure.”
For London, who was taken with the eighth overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, it’s his first 1,000-yard season. He’s thrived while the Falcons have seemingly been playing musical chairs at quarterback for the past three seasons.
“I’ve had fun this year,” London said. “I’ve had a ton of fun. I still have one more game. I’m still looking to have more fun.”
London believes the Falcons have a bright future on offense.
“This is a growing team,” London said. “We have a young core. A young cast. I just feel like if we keep putting it together, if we have more time together, the sky is the limit for us.”
Mooney was a fifth-round pick out of Tulane by the Bears in 2020. If he hits the mark, it will be his second 1,000-yard season.
He had 81 catches for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns with the Bears in 2021.
“Those guys are having a special season,” Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said. “Obviously, we’ve talked about them a lot this season and both just unbelievable pros, with Drake and Darnell.”
Mooney was the team’s top target in free agency among wide receivers.
“We scouted him when he was at Tulane,” Robinson said. “Would have loved to have him in LA (Robinson’s former team was the Rams). Obviously, he ended up in Chicago. We’ve followed his career. We played against Chicago a handful of times. He was like, always open.”
The Bears had issues at the quarterback position.
“He brings a ton of energy to practice,” Robinson said. “Very, very smart. I know we’ve talked about that at length. Just how cerebral he is for a receiver. I meet with him every single Friday.”
Robinson and Mooney go over the play calls during those Friday meetings.
“It’s a testament to him,” Robinson said. “The work that he put in dating back to the spring. He’s one of the most competitive guys in the building, him and Drake.”
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