Cooper Rush looked like a different quarterback against the Indianapolis Colts.
A week after a rough preseason debut against the Denver Broncos, the Atlanta Falcons veteran steadied himself and put together a much cleaner showing. Last week, Rush dealt with several batted balls and threw two interceptions, one of them a pick-six. This time, he found his footing quickly and kept the offense moving.
His night opened with a 15-yard completion to rookie wide receiver Zachariah Branch, a simple way to get settled in. The first drive didn’t explode from there - Rush added just seven yards on his next two completions, and Tyler Goodson couldn’t get the run game going - but Atlanta still came away with points when Nick Folk finished the possession with a field goal.
Rush was 3 of 4 for 22 yards and an 87.5 passer rating on that opening series. On the next drive, he barely had to carry the load at all. After a nine-yard completion to Nick Muse, Goodson ripped off a 49-yard touchdown run to finish the march.
From there, Rush kept stacking efficient snaps. He worked in an 18-yard throw to Chris Blair and later connected with undrafted rookie Vinny Anthony II on a 17-yard crosser as Atlanta scored again.
The biggest difference from his first preseason outing was obvious: Rush didn’t try to squeeze throws into crowded windows, and he repeatedly took what was available. By halftime, he had completed 10 of 11 passes for 86 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions, good for a 99.2 passer rating.
It’s still August, but the Falcons have to like what they saw from their No. 3 quarterback after last week’s mess. Now the pressure shifts to rookie Jack Strand to answer with a performance of his own.
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