Falcons choose Tua Tagovailoa over Michael Penix Jr. as Week 1 starter vs. Steelers

The Atlanta Falcons are naming Tua Tagovailoa their starting quarterback for Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team announced Monday.

Tagovailoa won the job over Michael Penix Jr., who spent the preseason still recovering from his torn ACL that ended his 2025 campaign.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski may have tipped his hand earlier in the preseason, when Tagovailoa got the start in the team's first preseason game. When asked about his strategy, Stefanski said he prefers to play his starters in the first and third preseason games.

Tagovailoa played just one drive during the team's first game of the preseason. He finished 3-of-5 passing for 22 yards. In an otherwise mundane outing, the quarterback fumbled but recovered it.

Tagovailoa also played a drive in the team's third preseason game, going 7 of 8 with 95 yards.

The announcement comes on the heels of a training camp in which Tagovailoa got most of the work.

Penix was able to practice in 7-on-7 drills for the first two weeks and didn't get upgraded to full participation in 11-on-11 drills until the third week of the preseason.

This is Tagovailoa's first season with the Falcons. He began his career with the Miami Dolphins, but when the franchise went in a new direction and fired Mike McDaniel, Miami also opted to release Tagovailoa despite a massive dead cap hit .

The veteran QB played 14 games last season and went 6-8. He threw for 2,660 yards with 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Tagovailoa completed 67.7% of his passes, his lowest percentage in a season since 2022.

Now that the Week 1 starter has been determined, the bigger question is whether Tagovailoa can keep the job moving forward. If Penix lost out on the starting role due to his health, how will the team handle the situation once he's ready to fully return to action?

Penix was the starting quarterback in 2025, ahead of veteran Kirk Cousins. He dealt with injuries throughout the season and played only nine games. Atlanta went 3-6 in those games as Penix finished with 1,982 yards, 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.