Cooper rush dooms Falcons, will Michael Penix Jr. be ready for Week 2?

The Falcons and Steelers played one of the worst combined games of football in NFL history — and that’s not hyperbole.

Atlanta’s 20-13 loss on Sunday was an embarrassment to the game. Third-string quarterback Cooper Rush was thrust into a starting role due to the injuries to Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa, and he didn’t look like someone who belongs within 20 feet of an NFL sideline.

The stat line wasn’t horrendous. Rush finished 12/22 for 143 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, but those numbers don’t really capture just how unreliable he was under center. The Falcons could not call a pass beyond the line of scrimmage. It looked like Rush was throwing a medicine ball out there, and the Steelers defense quickly realized they didn’t even have to play defense on the back end, focusing exclusively on Bijan Robinson in the backfield.

Which is what makes Robinson’s performance even more impressive. The entire world knew where the ball was going, and he still finished with over 170 yards from scrimmage — split evenly between rushing and receiving — with the Falcons’ lone touchdown on the afternoon, a swing pass that he took 23 yards to the end zone towards the end of the first quarter.

That same pass from Rush actually led to another touchdown later in the game. Unfortunately, it involved TJ Watt going the other way on a throw that was just a dismal effort — tossed with the same velocity you’d find at a youth football game, and that might be disrespecting some of the kids out there.

Which begs the question: were the Falcons ever considering a debut for undrafted rookie Jack Strand? It undoubtedly would have been a tough spot to throw him in there, but it was very obvious early on that Cooper Rush gave Atlanta zero chance of winning unless Pittsburgh completely pissed down their leg. At least with Strand, the threat of a pass past the line of scrimmage would have existed, and he also offers a lot with his legs that would have taken some attention off of Bijan Robinson.

According to head coach Kevin Stefanski, however, that was never something they considered. Instead, they were willing to punt the entire game, because as I will continue to reiterate, Cooper Rush had no business playing in an NFL game yesterday, and if we’re being real, he has no business staying on the Falcons’ roster past this week. It was hands down the worst quarterback performance I’ve seen with my two eyes in my 30 years on this earth, and I had to watch Desmond Ridder start an entire season not long ago.

But that leads us to the much bigger issue at hand: why was Michael Penix Jr. not playing?

Penix was cleared for 11-on-11 work a few weeks ago after suffering a torn ACL last season. He said he’s not quite feeling 100% yet, which is why he opted against playing, but whatever he’s feeling has nothing to do with him being healthy. There is not a world where the Falcons would clear him to play if he wasn’t healthy. This isn’t a hamstring strain; it’s a surgically repaired knee — the third of Penix’s career. If he wasn’t 100%, he wouldn’t be cleared to play.

The issue, as Penix has said several times leading up to the season, is the mental hurdle of getting back on the field and taking hits. It’s a completely reasonable concern given all he’s undergone in the injury department, but that’s something he needs to get over, and fast. A hesitant Michael Penix Jr. is still better than whatever the hell we were forced to watch on Sunday, and he’s not going to get any more mentally ready by sitting on the sideline while this team looks more inept than Buford High School would offensively.

There’s no reason Penix shouldn’t be the starting quarterback for the Falcons’ Week 2 matchup with the Panthers, and if he isn’t, it’s fair to say we have our answer on whether he can be a franchise cornerstone moving forward.

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(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire)