The Atlanta Falcons take on the Carolina Panthers in a key NFC South Division clash in Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season.
For the Falcons to get off on the right foot in divisional play, they’ll need better quarterback performance than they got in the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which was a 20-13 Atlanta loss.
Before Friday, though, it wasn’t even clear who would be playing QB for the Falcons against the Panthers.
The news has emerged in the early afternoon Friday, though, with multiple NFL insiders sharing on social media which direction the Falcons have decided to go.
Tua Tagovailoa seemed out of the discussion, but both Cooper Rush and Michael Penix Jr. got reps with the first-teamers on Thursday.
Who’s Falcons Starting QB for Week 2?
The Falcons are planning to start Cooper Rush at quarterback in Week 2.
This is what NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport posted to share that news:
#Falcons QB Cooper Rush is taking the first-team reps now and is expected to start Week 2, sources say. No surprise, with Michael Penix Jr not quite ready. pic.twitter.com/lC4vBrzvFB
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 18, 2026
This adds up with reports out of Falcons practice on Friday.
ESPN’s Marc Raimondi reported that Penix was out there but only throwing to the practice squad wide receivers:
Michael Penix is throwing to the practice squad receivers right now in the routes on air drill. Cooper Rush is taking the majority of the throws with the starters. This is how last Friday looked as well. #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) September 18, 2026
Rush and Penix had both been listed as full participants on Thursday’s injury report.
Despite that, Penix is “not quite ready,” Rapoport wrote in the post above. He had his 2025 season ended with a torn ACL, and since it’s the third torn ACL he’s had since he started his college football career, he and the Falcons have been extra cautious.
Cooper Rush Starting: What to Know
The Falcons’ offense struggled as a whole with Rush at quarterback in Week 1.
The one exception was RB Bijan Robinson, who ran 21 times for 83 yards and had eight catches for 90 yards and a touchdown.
Robinson was targeted 10 times out of just 22 Rush passes, a remarkable rate and one that suggests Bijan will again be in for a heavy workload against the Panthers.
Rush threw Drake London’s way four times, completing two, and just once toward Kyle Pitts, an incompletion.
For the Falcons to get going in a better direction, Rush will likely have to utilize those two pass catchers better against the Panthers than he did against the Steelers.
In the meantime, Penix apparently will have to keep firming up his recovery to eventually give himself a chance back on the field.
Falcons Make Week 2 Starting QB Decision