After two straight weeks of quarterback instability, the Atlanta Falcons finally have a glimmer of hope under center. With the Cooper Rush experiment finally over, Michael Penix Jr.'s first start of the season saw the Falcons pull out their first win of 2026-- a 35-14 blowout vs. the Green Bay Packers.
Of course the first victory of the Kevin Stefanski era came on Thursday Night Football, but a win is a win. It was nice to see the potential of what this team could be with competent quarterback play because playing Rush was the equivalent of starting your local Walmart cashier on Sunday afternoon.
The Falcons accrued over 500 yards of offense (250 of which came from Penix in the air), and while the run game did most of the heavy lifting, it would be wrong to say the improved QB play didn't make an impact.
Even though they have a true starter back in the lineup, Atlanta's QB position will continue to be a major point of scrutiny--especially once tank watch nears-- and something that could still change throughout this season--which is the point of a quarterback confidence meter to evaluate them.
For those who were unaware of how this looked when I did this last week, I created a scale (shown below) to determine my own faith in all four Atlanta signal-callers, and a lot has changed compared to last week's version.
Rating | Meaning | Description |
|---|---|---|
10 | Josh Allen-level dangerous | MVP caliber, the best QB in the NFL |
9 | Post-LSU level Joe Shiesty | One of the best in the business, but not top 3 |
8 | Matt Ryan in his hayday | Ultra-consistent but under-appreciated. Top 10 option |
7 | The same range as Brock Purdy | Someone you can win with but not because of: a product of his situation |
6 | Only if everything goes perfectly | There is 1 major red flag, but enough potential to believe. |
5 | Back to the Future this thing | Can a washed-up guy turn back the clock? |
4 | Give me Dante Moore | Solid backup, but I'd rather have the No. 1 pick. |
3 | Only in the event of an emergency | If the QB room is hit with injury armageddon; |
2 | Practice squad call-up | Borderline rosterable. |
1 | Get ready to learn UFL buddy | This guy doesn't even belong on an NFL roster. |
How confident are we in the Falcons QB room after the Week 3 victory?
Michael Penix Jr.--- 7
Compared to the Michael Penix Jr. we saw last season, this was night and day. If you didn't know this was his first start off an ACL tear, you would've had no idea. After the opening drive interception, he improved as the game went on and the connection with Drake London was the highlight of the day.
The best part here is that the 26-year-old thrived in the new system. While Zac Robinson was consistently running the pistol, Tommy Rees has done more to cater to Penix's strengths. According to Next Gen Stats, he lined up under center for 35 snaps against the Packers, drastically surpassing his previous career-high of eight snaps.
And in turn, they dialed up more play-action and downfield passing looks--which worked like a charm.
It goes to show you that with the right play-calling in an offense where the infrastructure was already among the NFL's best, the potential for Michael Penix Jr. to prove himself as a franchise QB is clear--and he's doing that in real time despite some concerns about whether or not he can stay healthy.
Tua Tagovailoa-- 5
Tua Tagovailoa is a weird one to evaluate here because the worst thing for him was returning in the same week as Penix. It meant that his recovery flew completely under the radar, and now that Atlanta got good QB play from the 26-year-old on primetime, they have less incentive to turn to him.
This isn't to say that Tagovailoa is expendable, because he's a quality backup, but as long as Penix keeps playing like this and stays healthy, he'll remain the starter. So all he is at this point is a glorified insurance option: he's Matt Saracen had Jason Street stayed healthy. The goal is to never play him.
It remains to be seen wether or not he gets his shot, but if he does we better hope to see ex-Pro Bowler Tua, not whatever the hell we saw last year.
Jack Strand--- 3
Because of the QB room returning to full health, undrafted rookie Jack Strand was a healthy inactive for the first time in his career against the Packers--but he's still someone Atlanta has high hopes for. He got a really bad draw against the Panthers, and that shouldn't define this staff's belief in him.
I wouldn't feel comfortable starting him obviously, but should injury Armageddon again strike the Dirty Birds, it's easy to have more faith in Strand over Cooper Rush as the starter despite the experience gap, and it's not like Atlanta would choose this kid over any of the top 2027 QBs.
Cooper Rush--- 2
Speaking of Rush, he's the latest signal-caller to have a changed position in this confidence meter. He was downright awful in his first two starts for the Falcons this year to the point he shouldn't even see the field in an emergency. They couldn't move the football at all with him in the starting lineup.
Frankly, just seeing how Penix's return unlocked this offense is further proof of that. The Falcons could attack defenses downfield, they were able to dial up the play-action game, and this staff looked more in their element without him.
With the QB room now fully healthy, Cooper Rush is the QB3 at best, and it's time to stop rostering four quarterbacks. But the play would be to stash him on the practice squad until (god forbid) he is needed.
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