If the Atlanta Falcons are going to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, they're going to have to do it without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
According to multiple reports, an oblique injury that was considered "day-to-day" is going to prevent Tagovailoa from making his Falcons debut in Week 1. With Michael Penix Jr. also still not ready for action, the Falcons are going to be turning to Cooper Rush, who just signed with the team in late July.
Thankfully, Rush is an experienced backup, and even more important, the path to the Falcons winning in Week 1 hasn't changed at all.
If the Falcons -- who are already road underdogs -- were going to pull off the Week 1 upset, it was always going to be because of Bijan Robinson, not Tua Tagovailoa. And with Cooper Rush out there instead of Tua, that strategy remains firmly in place.
Bijan Robinson is the Falcons' path to victory vs. Steelers with Tua Tagovailoa injury news
Regardless of who is playing quarterback for the Falcons, a team like the Steelers undoubtedly has spent the better part of the last two weeks preparing to do whatever it takes to stop one player more than the rest, and he wears No. 7 for the Falcons.
The Falcons' offense flows through Robinson, one of the best offensive weapons in the game and one of the only non-quarterbacks in the NFL who might realistically be able to contend for league MVP honors. He's going to have to be in that type of form on Sunday afternoon, and he might need a little repeat of some recent Week 1 history as well.
Robinson was on the field for 63 snaps in last year's season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and that ended up being the second-most snaps he played in a single game all of last season (he played 64 in Week 14 against the Bucs). While Tampa Bay's defense was clearly not going to led Robinson run all over them in that game, the Falcons adjusted by finding ways to get Robinson more involved in the passing game.
He finished with just 24 rushing yards on 12 carries, but 100 yards on six receptions (7 targets).
Robinson's abilities as a pass-catching threat serve the Falcons well in a situation like this, where the backup quarterback can just keep feeding him the ball and expect chunk plays. And Rush has done well enough in his opportunities in the past to believe that he can take advantage of a defense that is keying in on Robinson every play as well.
Rush has a 9-7 career record as a starter, completing 61.1 percent of his throws with 20 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He looked pretty rough last year with the Baltimore Ravens, but played some downright inspired football with the Cowboys at times in 2024.
Robinson was second in the NFL among all running backs last season with 79 receptions. The threat that he poses as both a runner and receiver when he's on the field gives the Falcons an advantage in an otherwise very disadvantageous situation of not having the starting quarterback on the field. The Falcons don't have to hide the intent to get Robinson the ball as often as they will.
Their first strategy offensively this season -- regardless of the quarterback -- is almost always going to be challenging the defense to stop (or limit) Robinson if they can. Considering Robinson averaged 135.1 yards from scrimmage per game last season, that's proven to be easier said than actually done.
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