The NFL is built on the quarterback position; no team gets past the regular season without solid play from the most important position in professional sports.
Atlanta Falcons fans have seen the importance of elite QB play firsthand since the departure of Matt Ryan. They have rotated between Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Kirk Cousins, and Michael Penix Jr. And in 2026, that rotation will expand with Tua Tagovailoa's arrival.
While both guys fighting for a starting gig can be high-quality passers, it is hard to imagine either of them turning into a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. How can you help but not be disappointed?
Falcons fans could be in for a rude awakening at quarterback yet again
And Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox seems to agree. He detailed each NFL teams' reasons to hope and mope on offense. Unsurprisingly, the Dirty Birds' was centered around the ongoing debate surrounding the starting signal-caller.
Their worst-case scenario is simple: Atlanta runs into more questions than answers at QB.
"Penix and Tagovailoa, who flamed out with the Miami Dolphins, are both looking for redemption," Knox wrote. "Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that either one finds it this season. If both prove to be below-average starters, Atlanta could struggle to be relevant in the NFC South."
That is the harsh truth; we don't know where the 2026 season will take us. Kevin Stefanski has a history of turning average passers into starters who offer just enough to make the playoffs. However, that is not good enough in a league where only one team ends the season truly happy with the result.
Will Falcons fans be ecstatic to see their near-decade-long playoff drought come to an end? Absolutely, but when you take a bite of the apple, you want to finish it -- anything short feels like a failure.
Tagovailoa has shown he can be a top-10 starter. But that was a few years ago when he was throwing to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in Mike McDaniel's system. Even when they did make the playoffs, he did nothing with it.
And then you have Penix Jr. who no one knows the future of. You have probably heard his summary by now: he has incredible arm talent and sneaky athleticism, but can he up his completion percentage, find more consistency, and stay healthy?
Truth be told, these are too many questions to sort through. Unfortunately, this team doesn't have Josh Allen who you can rely on to win double-digit games. Teams who don't know who their starter is by now are teams that fall short of the playoffs. It is the unfortunate truth that leaves us all moping.
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