Falcons Turn to Rush as Starting QB at Steelers with Tagovailoa Ruled Out with Oblique Injury
- On Friday, the Atlanta Falcons ruled quarterback Tua Tagovailoa out for Sunday's season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers with an oblique injury. Head coach Kevin Stefanski named Cooper Rush as the starter.
- Tagovailoa had only been named the starter on Monday after a competition with Michael Penix Jr., who communicated he was not ready for live game action. The quarterback suffered the oblique injury during Thursday's practice.
- Penix will be listed as inactive Sunday while recovering from left ACL surgery, leaving rookie Jack Strand as the backup quarterback. Penix participated fully in practice but remains unprepared for live game action.
- Rush brings experience from 16 career starts, having completed 61.1% of his career passes for 3,766 yards. The veteran quarterback now steps in as the Falcons' Week 1 starter against Pittsburgh.
- Head coach Stefanski said Tagovailoa is considered week-to-week, leaving the Falcons thin at quarterback entering the season. The situation reflects the team's ongoing management of health concerns across the depth chart.
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59 Articles
Dan Orlovsky sounds alarm for Tua Tagovailoa as Falcons QB gets ruled out for Week 1 after oblique injury
The Atlanta Falcons had named Tua Tagovailoa as the starting quarterback for the start of the 2026 season. With Michael Penix Jr. ruled out in Week 1, the veteran was expected to lead the offense.
“Terrible News”: Steelers Warned Tua Tagovailoa Injury Could Become Their “Worst Nightmare”
The Pittsburgh Steelers appeared to catch a break when Tua Tagovailoa was ruled out of Sunday’s season opener with an oblique injury suffered in practice just two days earlier. However, with Cooper Rush now set to start under new head coach Kevin Stefanski, analysts have warned that Atlanta’s quarterback change could end up working against […]
ATLANTA (AP) — Cooper Rush will be the headline quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in Pittsburgh, after Tua Tagovailoa was ruled out on Friday for an oblique injury.
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