Tua Tagovailoa wasn’t on the field for the open portion of Falcons practice Friday, making his Week 1 start against the Steelers look less and less likely. This is a huge curveball for Atlanta as they gear up for their season opener.
Oblique Injury Throws a Wrench Into Week 1 Plans
The Falcons QB apparently picked up an oblique injury during practice on Thursday. That immediately sent Cooper Rush straight into all the first-team reps as Atlanta preps for their season opener. Rush, who just signed with the team earlier in training camp, is now suddenly the guy getting all the snaps with the starters. Talk about a quick promotion!
Penix Recovery Adds to QB Drama
It gets wilder in the Falcons quarterback room. Michael Penix, their other quarterback who has been sidelined, has returned to practice. But here’s the kicker: he’s already been ruled out for Week 1. Penix is still rebuilding strength after tearing his ACL last season, and there’s no set timetable for his return to actual game action. Week 2 isn’t completely out of the picture for Penix, but this whole situation means Tua’s window for making any starts could slam shut if he isn’t out there on the field this weekend.
So what’s next? The Falcons are staring down Week 1 against the Steelers with a whole lot of questions at quarterback. Can Rush step up? And how long before we see Tua or Penix back out there? This is definitely not how Atlanta wanted to kick off the season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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