Falcons QB Cooper Rush Struggled. When Will Jack Strand Get His Chance?

As Cooper Rush tailspinned in the Atlanta Falcons’ Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach Kevin Stefanski never looked to the sidelines to explore alternative options at quarterback.

The most realistic option would have been Jack Strand, an undrafted rookie quarterback who’s becoming a beloved figure in Atlanta sports fandom. Wide receiver Olamide Zaccheas was a shocking gameday announcement as the Falcons’ emergency third-string quarterback and third-string running back, a self-imposed situation the team placed itself in during final roster cuts.

Despite inexperience, Strand could have been an offensive jolt during the 20-13 shortfall last Sunday, Sept. 13. He would have introduced a different look and potentially been a player Pittsburgh didn’t heavily scout.

But Stefanski resisted.

“No,” the Falcons’ first-year head coach quickly answered when asked if he considered playing Strand. He clearly had his mind made up before the game that he was not going to subject his undrafted rookie to the Steelers' talented defense unless Rush went down.

Rush tossed Atlanta’s lone touchdown of the day on a screen pass to running back Bijan Robinson, who took it for 23 yards.

However, Rush finished 12-of-22 for 143 passing yards, a touchdown pass, and two interceptions, one of which was picked off at the line of scrimmage by defensive end TJ Watt and returned for a 35-yard touchdown. Rush had a 2.6 QBR and 51.9 rating.

With uninspiring quarterback play and kicking woes, seven-point deficits seemed insurmountable for Atlanta despite a good day in the office for the defense.

Cut Rush some slack, though. Leading into training camp and Week 1, the ninth-year NFL veteran wasn’t expecting to be the season-opener starter. And with a 9-8 record as a starter, it was pretty likely he wasn’t going to have an all-world performance, which he was critical of in the postgame press conference.

But as named starter Tua Tagovailoa nurses an oblique injury and Michael Penix Jr. gets mentally ready to return from a partially torn ACL, the questions will persist if quarterback performance continues to be a liability: When will Strand play?

“Listen, Jack, I’m very proud of his development, and he’s obviously thrust in a tough spot for a young player being a backup in the NFL,” Stefanski said. “Pleased with where Jack’s development is.”

Atlanta’s next game is its home opener and first NFC South game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Sept. 20. Carolina (0-1) lost to the Chicago Bears 59-37 in Charlotte. In fact, all NFC South teams lost on the NFL’s 2026 season opening Sunday.

Falcons-Panthers starts at 1 p.m. on FOX inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

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