Steelers could face Falcons fourth-string QB in Week 1

Posted by Admin September 6, 2026 NFL

The Pittsburgh Steelers open their season in t-minus one week against the Atlanta Falcons. Pittsburgh has never lost to Atlanta at home, and it will mark the third time in the last 16 years the two teams have faced one another in Week 1.

It’s not controversial at all to say the Steelers are the more talented team, but they may have an even bigger advantage when the ball is kicked off next Sunday.

There is a real possibility that the Steelers will face Atlanta’s fourth-string quarterback, as John Fricke of 92.9 The Game in Atlanta points out.

“One week out [and the] Falcons have not yet named a starter,” Fricke posted on X. “Tua did not win the job. Rush is a back-up. If Penix is a physical ‘no go,’ do they have time to prep Jack Strand [with] the first-team to go vs. the Steelers?”

Strand is a rookie from Division-II Minnesota Moorhead. He was a D-II All-American in 2025. He finished his collegiate career with an astounding 13,161 yards and 126 touchdowns.

While he was an undrafted rookie, the Falcons may feel more comfortable with Strand after seeing what Tua Tagovailoa showed them in preseason play – a stretch of play that reportedly made him “impossible” to start in the eyes of the Falcons, via Ian Rapoport.

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