Cooper Rush starts for Atlanta Falcons against Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1

The Atlanta Falcons will start Cooper Rush at quarterback for their Week 1 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Head coach Kevin Stefanski named Rush the starter after Tua Tagovailoa sustained an oblique injury during practice on Thursday and Michael Penix Jr. remained unavailable for his debut. Tagovailoa had been previously announced as the starter on Monday. Rush enters the contest with 42 career game appearances and 16 starts. Rookie Jack Strand will serve as the backup quarterback for the matchup. The team has not identified a designated emergency third quarterback for the game.

• 9:03 PMYahoo Sports — NFL world reacts to Falcons starting Cooper Rush vs. Steelers