Falcons defensive lineman ranks No. 1 in NFL against the run

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Falcons defensive lineman ranks No. 1 in NFL against the run

Falcons defensive lineman ranks No. 1 in NFL against the run

Tim Weaver, Falcons Wire · Falcons Wire

Fri, Oct 16, 2026 ·

1 min read

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The Atlanta Falcons defense line is one of the great mysteries around the NFL this year. Despite missing starting edge rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce and defensive tackle Da'Shawn Hand, they have been excellent both at generating pressures and stopping the run.

How are they doing it? The short answer is they are greater than the sum of their parts, which means they're getting big contributions from guys the average fan isn't familiar with.

Case in point - the best player in ESPN's run stop win rate is not Gervon Dexter, who the Falcons just gave a boatload of money to, nor Brandon Dorlus, the second-round pick coming off a breakout season.

Instead it's LaCale London, who has the highest run stop win rate in the entire league going ginto Week 6. Former Falcons star Grady Jarrett is second.

If your first question is who the hell is LaCale London you're probably not alone. London played his college ball at Western Illinois and then went undrafted.

This is London's fifth year in the league, having spent time with the Chicago Bears before joining the Falcons in 2023. Since then he has spent most of the time on Atlanta's practice squad, but the injury to Hand opened up a spot and London has taken advantage of the opportunity.