FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons have not yet named a starting quarterback for their home-opening matchup against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2.
Cooper Rush was the starter in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a role he assumed after Tua Tagovailoa injured his oblique in practice on Thursday. That led Rush to take all of the first-team reps on Thursday and Friday. On Sunday, he completed 12 of his 22 pass attempts for 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
RELATED CONTENT
Now, as the preparation for Carolina begins in earnest, all options are on the table.
"I'd say we're working through it," Stefanski said. "I'm not ruling anyone out. Tua is not going to practice today, though he's getting better. Cooper and Mike will practice today, so we'll work through it."
Tagovailoa was initially named the starting quarterback against the Steelers on Monday of Week 1, a decision that followed a lengthy evaluation period during training camp and the preseason. The oblique injury Tagovailoa sustained in practice forced Atlanta into a contingency plan, and it remains to be seen what his availability will be for Sunday's game.
The same can be said of Michael Penix Jr.
The eighth-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft was limited for a majority of training camp as he recovered from last season's ACL surgery. He was cleared for full participation in practice in the week leading up to Atlanta's final preseason game, but he did not play in that exhibition contest nor in the first game of the regular season. Stefanski said Penix continues to practice fully and is progressing.
"I feel really good about the plan and where we are," he said. "I'm not going to get into specific conversations with our players, but Mike's progressing and doing a good job. But we'll see where it goes."
Penix was inactive in Week 1, and he told reporters in the week leading up to the game that he was not "where I want to be right now," but added that he's "really close." There's no definitive timeline for his return, and Stefanski said he was taking a day-to-day approach with evaluating all of the quarterbacks, including Penix.
"I think all of us on the coaching staff, on the medical staff, all of our players—Mike in this case—want to always do what's best for our players. And I feel really, really confident in the plan, going back to when I first got here and how Mike was working off the field and working in the training room—And I think what you've seen is a progression of all that.
"So, I feel confident that as he progresses and gets ready, we'll let you guys know," Stefanski said. "But a big part of that is this practice and the practice of the next day and those type of things. So, we'll continue to take this day to day, and I'll make decisions that are best for the football team."
The Falcons leaned heavily on Bijan Robinson and the run game in Week 1 against the Steelers, and there are plenty of reasons to believe that could be the case against the Panthers. Robinson is one of the most singular weapons at running back, and the Panthers also gave up 291 yards on the ground to the Chicago Bears.
As Atlanta works to settle on its quarterback, its offense can flow through a talented group of playmakers that also includes Drake London and Kyle Pitts.
"I know that those guys want to have the ball in their hands as much as possible," Robinson said. "And I know we're going to try to do whatever we can to put the ball in their hands, so we can all benefit off of each other. Whatever our game plan is for that, when they have the ball in their hands, they're threats to everybody on the defense. So we're going to try to continue to have that share between all of us as much as we can.
Immerse yourself in the subtle drama of the Falcons-Steelers meetup at Acrisure Stadium with our monochrome snapshots from Week 1.
