Hold up, folks. ESPN’s Ben Solak just dropped a Week 2 prediction about the Atlanta Falcons that’s gonna make your head spin: rookie QB Jack Strand, their fourth-string guy, is gonna score a touchdown. Yeah, you read that right. In Week 2. And not in the way you’d expect from a quarterback.
The Falcons’ Early Season QB Chaos Is WILD
Can you believe the mess the Falcons are in? Coming into the 2026 NFL season, it was supposed to be Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa battling for the starting job. But get this: neither of them are healthy enough to even suit up through at least the first two weeks! It’s pure chaos in Atlanta. Instead, third-stringer Cooper Rush got the Week 1 start, and he’s slated to start Week 2 again. Their QB4, an undrafted rookie free agent named Jack Strand, is sitting there as the backup. While folks are probably begging for Strand to get some snaps, Solak’s prediction is way more out there than just letting the guy throw a pass.
Solak’s Wild Goal-Line Sneak Prediction Has Precedent
So, how’s Strand supposed to score a touchdown without passing or scrambling? Solak says the Falcons are gonna use him in an “odd, but smart way” on a quarterback sneak. We’re talking pure, brute force, tush-push style. Strand is an “enormous player,” measuring in at 6-foot-5 and a solid 240 pounds. That’s a good chunk bigger than Rush, who’s still a decent 6-foot-3, 224 pounds. That extra height and weight could be the difference between a goal-line stop and six points. Swapping in a bigger quarterback for a sneak is something that’s been done before, and Solak believes Strand is younger and more explosive than Rush for that specific job. Guess who knows all about using a big body in short-yardage situations? Our very own Seattle Seahawks, for example, roll out tight end A.J. Barner as their sneak expert when they need that muscle! It’s an interesting strategy, no doubt.
The Falcons are set to face the Carolina Panthers in Week 2, and if Solak’s bold prediction comes true, it would be an absolute spectacle. While he admits it’s “very unlikely,” it’s also “not totally impossible.” Keep an eye on those goal-line stands next Sunday, Emerald City! You never know what wild play calls teams will bust out when they’re desperate for a score early in 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 The Sporting News.
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