Cooper Rush to start again at QB for Falcons in Week 2 vs. Panthers; Michael Penix Jr. out, Tua Tagovailoa doubtful

Cooper Rush will start under center again for the Atlanta Falcons this week versus the Carolina Panthers , head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Friday .

Michael Penix Jr. is "getting closer" but is "not there yet" in his return to game action, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo , in his road back from a partially torn ACL that required season-ending surgery last year . Despite practicing in full, Penix was officially ruled out on Friday, and Tua Tagovailoa — who didn't practice all week — was listed with a "doubtful" designation.

Against the Steelers, Rush threw for 143 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions on 12-of-22 passing. Notably, his pick 6 early in the fourth quarter afforded the Steelers a two-score lead. Before Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt intercepted that swing pass and took it back to the house , Atlanta trailed by only three points in the final frame.

Rush's lone TD pass came late in the first quarter, when he whipped the ball on a screen to running back Bijan Robinson , who made a bee-line for the end zone, completing the 23-yard score .

Rush, 32, is in his 10th NFL season. The journeyman, originally undrafted out of Central Michigan in 2017, has posted a 9-8 record in 17 career starts. That said, he hasn't won a start since he went 4-4 with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024. Last season, he lost both of the games he started for the Baltimore Ravens , including a Week 6 game against the Los Angeles Rams that saw him benched .

Earlier this week, Stefanski told reporters that he wasn't "ruling anyone out" from his QB room to get the start in Week 2 . That position group includes rookie Jack Strand, a former undrafted free agent who played his college ball at Division II Minnesota State Moorhead but impressed during the preseason.

Rush, though, will get another crack at the QB1 job on Sunday against the Panthers, and Strand will back him up.