Michael Penix Jr.? Tua Tagovailoa? Cooper Rush? Jack Strand?
Who will be the Falconsâ starting quarterback on Thursday night when Atlanta plays Green Bay?
âÂÂI donâÂÂt have an update right this minute,â head coach Kevin Stefanski said in his Monday video conference. âÂÂI have a decent idea of where weâÂÂre going, but IâÂÂve not yet talked to the players yet. We have meetings later today. IâÂÂll update you guys when appropriate on that. But, bottom line is, weâÂÂve got to continue to put our plan together on offense, defense, and special teams, and find a way Thursday night in Green Bay.âÂÂ
ItâÂÂs been an ugly start to the season for AtlantaâÂÂs offense. With Tagovailoa suffering an oblique injury during practice leading up to the season opener, Rush has started the first two games. But he played so poorly and SundayâÂÂs loss to the Panthers was so out of hand that Strand â an undrafted rookie â made his first appearance in the second half yesterday.
Penix has been getting closer, with some reports indicating he could be available for Thursday night. But even without making the QB1 announcement, Stefanski declined to get into specifics when it comes to Penix.
âÂÂI talk to Mike every day and, like IâÂÂve told you guys, IâÂÂm very confident in our discussions with Mike, with medical throughout this entire process,â Stefanski said. âÂÂSo itâÂÂs not news to say I talked to Mike yesterday, IâÂÂll talk to Mike today. But anything past that, I donâÂÂt have an update, per se.âÂÂ
As for Tagovailoa, Stefanski said heâÂÂs getting better.
âÂÂWeâÂÂll work through what that means for this week, but definitely getting better,â Stefanski said.
And what about Strand? He was 8-of-15 for 59 yards with an interception in his first NFL action.
âÂÂLike IâÂÂve mentioned before, IâÂÂm very excited about JackâÂÂs development and the work that heâÂÂs putting in in this building, constantly, is impressive,â Stefanski said. âÂÂTo see where heâÂÂs come from, from Day 1 until now, IâÂÂm really proud of him. And heâÂÂll continue to work. HeâÂÂll be better for the reps he got yesterday, but he also recognizes thereâÂÂs a ton of work to do.âÂÂ
Stefanski indicated that the Falcons could make an announcement about their starting quarterback as soon as later on Monday, after heâÂÂs addressed the team.
Either way, kickoff is slated for Thursday night at 8:15 p.m. ET at Lambeau Field.
