Tua Tagovailoa won’t be under center for the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1.
What was supposed to be a clean opening-day decision got scrambled when Tagovailoa suffered an oblique injury in practice this week, knocking him out for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said the former Dolphins quarterback is now "week-to-week."
That leaves veteran Cooper Rush as the expected starter for Atlanta.
Rush’s own health has been a concern, too. He reportedly dealt with back spasms ahead of the game, though the team said he still will start Sunday at Pittsburgh.
If he’s out there, he’ll be doing so without much momentum behind him. Rush wasn’t sharp in four games with the Baltimore Ravens in the 2025 season, going 0-2 in two starts and throwing for 303 yards with four interceptions and no touchdowns.
Baltimore eventually turned to Tyler Huntley over him when Lamar Jackson was injured.
The quarterback uncertainty has already hit the betting market hard. DraftKings opened Atlanta as a 3.5-point road underdog with Tagovailoa expected to play, but the line has shifted to Pittsburgh -6.5.
Tagovailoa’s future with the job is far from settled, either. He was released by Miami in the offseason and is coming off a rough 2025 season, one in which he completed 67.7 percent of his passes but also threw 15 interceptions in 14 games as the Dolphins finished 6-8. Atlanta also didn’t get much encouraging play from him in the preseason, which leaves the door open for Michael Penix Jr. to take over once he’s ready.
Penix is still working back from a torn ACL, but NFL insider James Palmer reported that he is healthy and cleared, just not quite ready to return to action yet.
For now, the Falcons are set to roll into Week 1 with Rush, and they may have more quarterback options available by the time they face the Carolina Panthers in Week 2. Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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