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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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As the Atlanta Falcons continue to have quarterback issues, Drake London got into a heated altercation with a fan on the sidelines during Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers.
With backup quarterback Cooper Rush starting, the Falcons had fallen behind 27-3 in the third quarter to Bryce Young and the Panthers. Reportedly, a fan said something to London, and cameras caught him yelling and pointing from the sidelines.
Falcons receiver Olamide Zaccheaus stood in front of London to try to calm his teammate down. Following the game, London indicated that the fan said "personal stuff" to him, but he realized he shouldn't have handled things the way he did.
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"I'm going to be honest here, I don't take light to disrespect at all," he said in postgame comments about confronting the fan.
"I don't care who you are. I'm a man, too, at the end of the day. So, if you want to get on a personal level, I can get there, too, but it's not the right thing to do. So, I got to take accountability for that, and I got to push forward and be the bigger man in some of those situations," London said, per ESPN.
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In Sunday's game, London had a dismal performance, finishing with four receptions for 51 yards. Starting QB Rush completed 10 of 17 passes for 86 yards and two interceptions, then was benched in favor of backup Jack Strand.
However, Strand didn't fare much better, completing 8 of 15 passes for 59 yards and an interception. He was also sacked by the Panthers' defense twice in the embarrassing 34-3 loss.
London's fiery sideline confrontation comes as the Falcons don't have either quarterback available who competed for the starting job this offseason. Week 1's initial starter, Tua Tagovailoa, suffered an oblique injury during a practice just before Week 1.
Michael Penix Jr. has been recovering from a partially torn ACL injury, which he suffered last season in Week 11 against the Panthers.
Penix Jr. could be cleared to return for Week 3. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, he could be cleared to play in this coming Thursday's game against the Green Bay Packers.
The team signed Tagovailoa this offseason to add competition and depth around Penix Jr. as he recovered from his ACL injury. It's clear that frustrations are mounting with the poor performances and early losses for Atlanta.
The Green Bay Packers are 1-1 after defeating the New York Jets on Sunday and are looking to use that momentum to defeat Atlanta. They'll host the Falcons on Thursday night, beginning at 8:15 p.m. ET.
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