After last weekend's dud of an opener, the last thing Atlanta Falcons fans wanted was to see was Cooper Rush start another game after his two-interception effort against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, but unfortunately, Rush getting the start was not the one-off pattern we were hoping for.
Despite logging three consecutive full practices, Michael Penix Jr. isn't returning from his ACL tear just yet, as he was ruled out and Tua Tagovailoa is doubtful to play. But that didn't stop Kevin Stefanski from giving the news we didn't want: Rush will start in the home opener against the Carolina Panthers, with Jack Strand the backup.
Sorry to my Strand truthers, but we saw this coming.
Coach Stefanski confirms Cooper Rush will be the starting QB on Sunday pic.twitter.com/79doTnEy28
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 18, 2026
It's hard to be encouraged after last week, because an 0-2 start feels very possible. However, Rush getting the start is far from the worst thing in the world--even with how he bad he was last week. Give the guy a second chance, because here's a major bounce-back opportunity for the Falocns' offense.
Cooper Rush starting is not the nightmare it's being perceived to be
Yes, it's a bummer to be without Penix or Tua for another week, but this offense needs the benefit of the doubt. There is too much talent to be bogged down by bad QB play--and it was Tommy Rees' first game calling plays with this personnel, so hopefully he feels more comfortable going deeper in his bag of tricks to take pressure off of Cooper Rush--which maybe means more schemed up touches.
As far as Rush himself goes, he's in a better spot. Stefanski admitted after the game that he was close to 100% last week and his back spasms on Saturday didn't limit the play-calling, but you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to know that he's lying. The guy was woefully inefficient and couldn't complete a pass over five air yards. That has to be more of an injury thing than a play-calling one.
We also have to remember is that he had just one day of first-team reps in practice before being thrown into the fire as the starter. He got to get more comfortable working with the starters all week. That must count for something.
The best part is that this matchup is very advantageous for the Dirty Birds. Unlike a road clash with an elite Steelers' defense (and pass rush) Carolina's defense just gave up 59 points and surrendered over 500 total yards-- over 300 of which came on the ground-- against the Chicago Bears in Week 1.
The gameplan feels fairly obvious here: let Bijan Robinson cook, and he should run wild even though the Panthers are likely going to stack the box against him. The issue is managing his workload, so forcing Rush to get Drake London and Kyle Pitts involved was something we missed last week.
With Ejiro Evero and company likely to be hyper-focused on No. 7, they're going to sink or swim with the 32-year-old. It's clear this defense is one of the least efficient units in football, so don't knock Rush over the Steelers game: a home matchup against a worse defense can make it easy to game manage his way to a victory--after all we nearly saw him do that in Pittsburgh.
This doesn't Cooper Rush is gonna do his best Josh Allen impression and put up five touchdowns on Sunday, but seeing him improve and possibly help the Falcons upset the Panthers on Sunday
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