Cooper Rush will start at quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in Pittsburgh after Tua Tagovailoa was ruled out Friday with an oblique injury, an abrupt change that reshapes the Falcons' opener and hands a late-week opportunity to a veteran stopgap.
Injury forces late change to Falcons' plans
Tua Tagovailoa, who had been announced earlier in the week as the Falcons' Week 1 starter, was forced out after rolling over in pain during a Thursday practice drill — bending over, grabbing his right side and dropping to the ground for a few seconds before rising — and was officially ruled out Friday with an oblique issue. The injury removes Tagovailoa's chance to make his Falcons debut at Acrisure Stadium, the same site of the last start of his final season with Miami.
Coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Friday that Tagovailoa would not play and named Cooper Rush the starter. Stefanski also said undrafted rookie Jack Strand will be the team's backup for Sunday; Michael Penix Jr. was inactive for the opener and, Stefanski added, was never an option for Sunday's game even after Tagovailoa's injury.
Rush steps into a short-term starting role
Rush, who spent 2024 as Dak Prescott's backup and went 4-4 as a starter for the Dallas Cowboys last season, has been thrust into action because of the late-week injury. He will take the snaps against the Pittsburgh Steelers and, in doing so, faces his former head coach Mike McCarthy in McCarthy's debut with Pittsburgh.
The turn of events is a noteworthy moment for Rush, a former Central Michigan quarterback: his elevation to Week 1 starter is being framed as a significant accomplishment for him and for the MAC program that produced him.
Tagovailoa was ruled out with an oblique injury, so Cooper Rush will start on Sunday at Pittsburgh and undrafted rookie Jack Strand will serve as the backup. Michael Penix Jr., the No. 8 overall pick in 2024, will be inactive for the opener and was not an option for Sunday's game; any longer-term return would depend on him being medically cleared following last season's ACL recovery.
For now, Atlanta's season-opening game will be decided under the direction of Rush, a veteran presence brought in to steady a sudden change. How the Falcons respond on the field this weekend will determine whether this window for Rush is a short-term stopgap or the start of something longer.
