Who starts at QB for the Falcons? Stefanski needs more time after Cooper Rush struggles

Kevin Stefanski had plenty to do Monday to sift through the issues from the Atlanta Falcons' season-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers before turning his attention to the biggest issue of all: Who will start at quarterback for the Falcons in the home opener against the Carolina Panthers this weekend?

"We will see. I really don't have an update yet," the Falcons' first-year coach said. "I really need to get through today before we can make that decision."

The first factor in the decision is health. Tua Tagovailoa was ruled out of the Falcons' opener because of an oblique injury suffered in Thursday's practice. Michael Penix Jr. told the coaching staff he still doesn't feel ready to play while rehabbing the torn ACL that ended his 2025 season, although he said last week he is "really, really close."

"I hope to have more clarity on all of our positions in regard to injury later today or the next few days," Stefanski said Monday.

Veteran Cooper Rush started Week 1's 20-13 loss to the Steelers and went 12-for-22 passing for 143 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He posted the worst passer rating (51.9) and air yards per attempt average (3.4) -- and the second-worst interception per attempt percentage (9.1 percent) and success rate (34.6 percent) -- among starters who completed their games.

"Cooper battled," Stefanski said Monday, echoing the assessment he provided immediately after Sunday's loss. "Obviously, you want the turnovers back. You have to give credit to the Steelers, too, but all of our guys can be better."

The Falcons focused Monday on how to help their quarterback, whoever it's going to be.

"It's easy to highlight the quarterback position, but we have to stay on the field," Stefanski said. "We got in some not great downs and distances for our offense to convert."

Injuries up front

Sunday's game cost the Falcons Da'Shawn Hand, the veteran defensive tackle who joined the team on a one-year, $3 million free-agent deal this offseason. Hand suffered a quad injury that will require surgery and end his season after just seven snaps.

"It's hard because of the person that he is," Stefanski said. "That is the thing I appreciate about him in the first place, just a tough, tough dude. We will look at different things we need to do, but feel really confident in the guys we have in that room. But it's never easy when you lose a guy like Da'Shawn."

Atlanta also added Maason Smith and Gervon Dexter to the interior of the defensive line in the offseason, and both played extensively against the Steelers. Dexter played 39 snaps and had three tackles, and Smith played 38 snaps with one pass deflection.

On the other side of the ball, right guard Chris Lindstrom is in the concussion protocol after being injured trying to tackle T.J. Watt on Watt's interception return.

Cursed kicks?

If you're thinking the Falcons suffer from some sort of field goal jinx, I'm going to have a hard time proving you wrong. First-year kicker Nick Folk missed three field goal attempts in the three seasons before he arrived in Atlanta (78-of-81), then missed his first two regular-season kicks for the Falcons.

"I take full responsibility for today, bad day on my part," he said after the game.

Since 2023, no NFL team has lost more points to missed kicks than Atlanta (81), according to TruMedia. Falcons kickers have hit 75.3 percent of their kicks in that span, the second-lowest percentage in the league.

"I will just try to move on and try to learn from it a little bit and go from there," Folk said.

No kicker in the NFL with more than 20 field goal attempts had a higher success rate than the 41-year-old Folk's 96.3 percent from 2023 to 2025. He missed from 54 and 45 yards before hitting from 51 and 43 yards in the second half against the Steelers.

"Nick is a pro. I have total faith and trust in Nick," Stefanski said. "It wasn't like those were short field goals, at least the first one. He will be better. He will come through for this football team."

Return game impact

Rookie Zachariah Branch played 18 snaps on offense in his NFL debut but didn't get a passing target or a carry. He was active in the return game, though, with a 30-yard kick return and three punt returns for 33 yards.

"It was pretty easy," Branch said. "The guys set up the blocks for me. I just trusted my speed."

Play-action success

The Falcons ran play-action on only 5.3 percent of their offensive snaps, the lowest percentage in the league in Week 1. Those three snaps resulted in 64 yards, which was 27 percent of their offensive output, and their average of 21.3 yards per play was the highest in the league on play-action in Week 1.

Defensive auditions

Eighteen Falcons got at least 14 snaps on defense against the Steelers, and maybe the most surprising number on the list was Dexter's 39, considering he joined the team only two weeks ago.

Rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels started at inside linebacker and played 45 snaps, often being replaced by fellow rookie Harold Perkins Jr. on passing downs. Perkins played 23 snaps.

"With a lot of new guys, we are figuring out roles for them, and I'm proud of the effort," Stefanski said.

Extra points

Bijan Robinson touched the ball on 65.9 percent of his 46 snaps, the highest percentage of his career, according to NextGenStats. … Drake London played 59 snaps and got four passing targets and one carry. … The Falcons ran 26 plays with more than one tight end on the field Sunday, the sixth-highest total of the week, according to TruMedia.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.