ARTHUR SMITH

Drake London spent the past three seasons tearing up college defenses for USC, so football fans in his native Southern California weren't surprised when the big receiver got off to a strong NFL start with the Atlanta Falcons. The Los Angeles Rams fans in that SoCal contingent are hoping their Super Bowl champions can come up with ways to slow down London for just one week when the Falcons visit SoFi Stadium on Sunday for a meeting of teams hoping to avoid 0-2 starts. London caught 160 passes for 2,153 yards and 16 touchdowns in 27 games at USC before the Falcons made him the eighth overall draft pick last spring.

Wil Lutz kicked a 51-yard field goal with 19 seconds remaining to cap a stunning fourth-quarter comeback by the New Orleans Saints.

Desmond Ridder's drive to be first begins with an early start at his Atlanta Falcons rookie minicamp apartment. “I told Desmond, ‘Don’t be so loud in the morning,'" FitzPatrick said after Saturday's session. Ridder, the Falcons' third-round pick from Cincinnati and the second quarterback selected in last month's NFL draft, says he knows no other way.

Devin Singletary scored two touchdowns rushing in the second half to make up for Josh Allen’s sloppiness and the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills rallied to clinch their third consecutive playoff berth with a 29-15 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Ridley says he needs to take some time away from the game to focus on his own mental well-being.

Atlanta Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley has missed his second game of the season and says he's dealing with mental health issues.

Younghoe Koo kicked a 40-yard field goal on the final play and the Atlanta Falcons beat the New York Giants 17-14 to give coach Arthur Smith his first NFL win Sunday.

Matt Ryan has watched Joe Montana, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady switch teams, so he knows there’s a possibility he won’t finish his career with the Atlanta Falcons.

The Kansas City Chiefs started slowly on Sunday but did more of what they’ve done quite a bit over the past few years — win.

Logan Woodside and Matt Barkley each threw touchdown passes to open Tennessee’s backup quarterback competition and the Titans beat the Atlanta Falcons 23-3 in each team’s preseason opener.

Matt Ryan feels like the last man standing with the Atlanta Falcons, not that it’s a bad thing.

From players getting COVID-19 vaccinations to relaxed coronavirus protocols to lineup issues, particularly at quarterback, the NFL faces a multitude of questions as training camps open.

Aaron Rodgers was a no-show and Tom Brady was full-go.

The Atlanta Falcons have launched their mandatory minicamp.

The Atlanta Falcons began their offseason training program without longtime star receiver Julio Jones, who apparently has no intention of returning to a rebuilding team that is still struggling to get under the salary cap.

Matt Ryan acknowledges his age has many wondering how long he’ll continue to lead the Atlanta Falcons offense.

FILE - Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence passes against LSU during the second half of a NCAA College Football Playoff national championship game in New Orleans, in this Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, file photo. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence worked out for several NFL personnel including his expected future pro coach, Urban Meyer of the Jacksonville Jaguars. While 16 NFL teams attended, the 6-foot-6 Lawrence with the cannon arm and flowing air doesn't figure to get past the Jaguars. Lawrence threw for 3,153 yards, 24 touchdowns and five interceptions while missing two games after testing positive for COVID-19 in October. He said he wanted to perform for NFL teams to show he's no different than anyone else applying for a job.

– Tyreek Hill was thrilled to hear that his first wide receivers coach, David Culley, was going to be an NFL head coach. After interviewing for six openings, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy ultimately was passed over during the annual coaching carousel. That became official when the Houston Texans hired Culley, the long-time Andy Reid assistant who had been the assistant head coach in Baltimore. “I mean, I'm not a GM or anything but I will say, Coach Bieniemy has helped me a lot,” Hill said Thursday, after the Chiefs finished their first real practice for the Super Bowl. He wants to be a head coach.

This photo provided by the New Orleans Saints shows Terry Fonetenot in an undated photo. The Atlanta Falcons named Terry Fontenot the teams general manager, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. The 40-year-old Fontenot becomes Atlantas first Black general manager after spending 18 seasons with division rival New Orleans. Fontenot helped build a consistent winner as the Saints’ vice president and assistant general manager in charge of pro personnel. The Falcons fired general manager Thomas Dimitroff and coach Dan Quinn following a 0-5 start this season, which led to a 4-12 finish, Atlanta's third consecutive losing season.

FILE - Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith instructs his players during NFL football training camp in Nashville, Tenn., in this Friday, Aug. 21, 2020, file photo. The New York Jets interviewed Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith on Monday, Jan. 11, 2021, for their head coaching vacancy. Atlanta agreed to terms with Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith on Friday to become the team's head coach. Smith has served on Tennessee's staff for 10 seasons, including two as offensive coordinator. He also was an offensive assistant/quality control coach (2012), offensive line/tight ends assistant (2013) and assistant tight ends coach (2014-15).

This just in — the Houston Texans were not very good last season. So who will be the one anointed as the fourth full time head coach in franchise history? In fact, the folks at betonline.ag literally want to make it even more interesting by providing odds on whom the Texans will choose as their next head coach. Next, there is no chance they retain Romeo Crennel and make him the permanent head coach, so cross him off. In fact, it appears to be fairly likely that Meyer winds up in Jacksonville as the next Jags head coach.

PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 24: Director of Football & Business Operations Omar Khan of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on from the sideline before a preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Heinz Field on August 24, 2013 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Late Monday night, the Texans tweeted out that they interviewed Omar Khan for the GM position. Khan is a well respected front office piece with the Steelers where he serves as the Vice President of Football and Business Administration. The Texans have met with Omar Khan to interview for the General Manager role. — Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 5, 2021The Texans will also continue their search for a new head coach.

However, the coroonoavirus reared its ugly head in the Titans' locker room, and they suffered the biggest wave of the virus of any NFL team, thus far. They had to push their Week 4 game against the Steelers to Week 8, and they had to push their Week 5 game against the Bills to this past Tuesday. Texans run defense REALLY getting testedThrough four games, the Texans had the worst run defense in the NFL. That is absolutely the case this week, as Titans OC Arthur Smith SHOULD be a name that Cal McNair explores as a possible candidate. SPREAD: Texans +3.5PREDICTION: Texans 27, Titans 24Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays.