The quarterback uncertainty is far from finished for the Atlanta Falcons. No doubt, everyone wants to see Michael Penix Jr. return as soon as possible; maybe you could throw Tua Tagovailoa into the fold as well. But with them both injured, QB3 Cooper Rush got the start in Week 1 against the Steelers.
In the 20-13 loss, Rush was not good enough; if he continues to play that way as the starter, you can kiss any potential win goodbye. If both QBs are hurt, we'd have a much better chance of winning with undrafted rookie Jack Strand starting.
Getting either of the top two quarterbacks for Sunday is imperative in a huge NFC South matchup against the Carolina Panthers -- you have to win as many divisional games as possible. Unfortunately, the likelihood of that seems slim right now, with Rush scheduled for the QB1 press conference.
That said, Steve Wyche of NFL Network reported that he is just a placeholder until Stefanski actually has enough information to publicly name a starter -- which is quite ridiculous, even if they're waiting to continue evaluating the statuses of both Penix and Tua across the next few days as Week 2 looms.
I checked on this with the team and was told it listed Rush based on no new information. However, Coach Kevin Stefanski will announce who the QB is, whenever he decides to make his decision public. So per this release, Rush, for lack of a better term, is a placeholder - for now https://t.co/Y9VnRdsp2y
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) September 15, 2026
We are no closer to learning the truth of the Falcons' quarterback situation
In other words, we are no closer to finding out who will be under center on Sunday. Injuries all offseason have prevented Stefanski from naming his desired starting quarterback. The Falcons have truly been the NFL's most uncertain team in football--and it isn't even anyone's fault.
It gets frustrating, especially now when there is a key divisional game against the Panthers coming up on Sunday. A win will place the Falcons at the top of the division. But the possibility of a win depends on when their former first-round pick will return.
It has been a day-to-day situation for Penix Jr. Everyone seems to be on his timeline, while Tagovailoa's unreliability continues. It doesn't matter who, give me either of them over Cooper Rush.
Seeing Atlanta name Rush as the QB1 for the press conference is very concerning. While the report that it is a "placeholder" is valid, it still feels like a hint toward the answer we desperately want. I can't imagine the vet taking to the media and then Penix starting a few days later unless he heals that fast or feels that much better this week during practice.
There is so much frustration around this because, again, there is no clear timeline for these injuries. I would suspect Penix Jr. is closer to returning than Tagovailoa, since Tagovailoa's is a reaggravated injury.
I think most fans would prefer to see Penix Jr. return first, because he provides more potential with downfield passing. His counterpart looked no different in the preseason than Rush on Sunday; it was all line-of-scrimmage completions.
For a team facing a division rival who just allowed 59 points, you certainly hope the press conference isn't a sign of who will start on Sunday. At this point, we have no idea what to expect until we get practice updates later today, but this is not a guarantee that Cooper Rush will start.
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