Kevin Stefanski has a "decent idea" of Week 3 starter, but will address with team first

Kevin Stefanski has a “decent idea” of Week 3 starter, but will address with team first

Posted by Admin September 21, 2026 NFL

Michael Penix Jr.? Tua Tagovailoa? Cooper Rush? Jack Strand?

Who will be the Falcons’ starting quarterback on Thursday night when Atlanta plays Green Bay?

“I don’t have an update right this minute,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said in his Monday video conference. “I have a decent idea of where we’re going, but I’ve not yet talked to the players yet. We have meetings later today. I’ll update you guys when appropriate on that. But, bottom line is, we’ve got to continue to put our plan together on offense, defense, and special teams, and find a way Thursday night in Green Bay.”

It’s been an ugly start to the season for Atlanta’s 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 Sunday’s loss to the Panthers was so out of hand that Strand — an undrafted rookie — 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.

“I talk to Mike every day and, like I’ve told you guys, I’m very confident in our discussions with Mike, with medical throughout this entire process,” Stefanski said. “So it’s not news to say I talked to Mike yesterday, I’ll talk to Mike today. But anything past that, I don’t have an update, per se.”

As for Tagovailoa, Stefanski said he’s getting better.

“We’ll work through what that means for this week, but definitely getting better,” Stefanski said.

And what about Strand? He was 8-of-15 for 59 yards with an interception in his first NFL action.

“Like I’ve mentioned before, I’m very excited about Jack’s development and the work that he’s putting in in this building, constantly, is impressive,” Stefanski said. “To see where he’s come from, from Day 1 until now, I’m really proud of him. And he’ll continue to work. He’ll be better for the reps he got yesterday, but he also recognizes there’s a ton of work to do.”

Stefanski indicated that the Falcons could make an announcement about their starting quarterback as soon as later on Monday, after he’s addressed the team.

Either way, kickoff is slated for Thursday night at 8:15 p.m. ET at Lambeau Field.