The Atlanta Falcons suddenly cannot keep any of their quarterbacks healthy.
Cooper Rush, who is slated to start Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, dealt with back spasms on Saturday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. However, Rush is still expected to get the start in place of Tua Tagovailoa.
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.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 12, 2026
Jack Strand, an undrafted rookie out of Minnesota State–Moorhead, will be Rush’s backup and would have to step in if Rush was unable to play.
The Falcons must be wondering what they did to deserve this sort of bad luck. Rush was elevated to No. 1 earlier this week after Tagovailoa suffered an oblique injury during practice. Michael Penix Jr., the other quarterback on the team’s roster, is still trying to get into playing shape as he recovers from a torn ACL.
Tagovailoa, who was slated to be the Week 1 starter before the injury, also dealt with back spasms earlier in training camp. At this point, the position might be cursed for Atlanta.
