The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Falcons on Sunday afternoon, and Atlanta is already facing a lot of quarterback drama.
Atlanta was supposed to start Tua Tagovailoa, but he injured his oblique during practice on Thursday and will not play. Third-string quarterback Cooper Rush was expected to start in place of Tagovailoa, as Michael Penix Jr. is coming back from a torn ACL suffered last season. However, Rush is now dealing with an injury issue as well.
Cooper Rush is Dealing With Back Spasms
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Saturday afternoon that Rush is dealing with back spasms, but the Falcons said he will still start on Sunday.
“Falcons starting QB Cooper Rush, who was replacing the injured QB Tua Tagovailoa, experienced back spasms Saturday but the team said he still will start Sunday at Pittsburgh,” Schefter wrote on X.
Even though Rush is still supposed to start, it doesn’t mean he will get through the game, and Atlanta might have to play rookie QB Jack Strand at some point.
Rush has been in the NFL for eight seasons and spent the first seven years of his career with the Dallas Cowboys, where he appeared in 38 games and started 14. He threw for 3,463 yards and recorded 20 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Rush headed to the Baltimore Ravens last season, appearing in four games and starting two, accumulating 303 yards and four interceptions.
“That’s the life of a backup quarterback,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said Friday, via Josh Kendall of The Athletic. “In an ideal world, would you have liked to have gotten every rep? Of course, that’s a no-brainer, but I do think there are examples of guys who come in with no reps … and you’re expected to compete and hold the standard of the room.”
The Steelers might have caught a break for their Week 1 game, not having to face the Falcons’ top two quarterbacks. But Rush does have enough NFL experience that Pittsburgh will need to take him seriously.
Pittsburgh Still Doesn’t Know About Its Young QBs
The Steelers don’t have any quarterback drama because they know their starter is Aaron Rodgers, but they still don’t know what to do with Will Howard and Drew Allar.
Howard and Allar both made the 53-man roster along with Mason Rudolph, but who is going to be the young quarterback that the Steelers might look to build around?
The Steelers drafted Howard late in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he did not play in a game last season after injuring his hand in training camp. However, Mike Tomlin was part of the decision to draft Howard, which could mean he might not be the quarterback of the future.
Pittsburgh selected Allar in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. There is a good chance that Allar will be the young quarterback the Steelers look to build their future around, as he could have been a first-rounder if he hadn’t gotten injured in his last season at Penn State.
Steelers Could Be Facing Falcons QB4 in Week 1 Matchup After Injury Bug Hits Cooper Rush