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The biggest unknown for the Atlanta Falcons going into the 2026 season is who will be starting at quarterback. In Week 1 they'll be going on the road to face the Pittsbugh Steelers, long revered as one of the best pass-rushing teams in the league.
It behooves the Falcons to make their QB1 decision as early as possible before that date arrives (Sept. 13), but at the moment there's no official indication of which way the organization is leaning.
So, we must rely on speculation from the most plugged-in reporters with the team. That includes Josh Kendall at The Athletic, who was asked in his recent mailbag column who he thinks will start Week 1. He begins with a caveat that he really doesn't know and nobody does at this point, but eventually predicts it will be Tua Tagovailoa on the strength of his health and superior accuracy compared to Michael Penix.
This aligns with our thinking, especially in light of the fact that Tua has taken every meaningful rep in 11-on-11 drills so far this offseason, which means he should have a better chemistry with Atlanta's pass-catchers than Penix right now.
If we're wrong and Tagovailoa ends up losing the QB battle to Penix, it will likely because he simply lacks the physical tools that Penix has - especially arm power. Penix has to learn to take a little heat off his passes and throw with more touch, but there's no question that he can put much more zip on his passes as well as reach further down field compared to Tua.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons insider predicts starting QB for Week 1 vs. Steelers
Continue reading...
It behooves the Falcons to make their QB1 decision as early as possible before that date arrives (Sept. 13), but at the moment there's no official indication of which way the organization is leaning.
So, we must rely on speculation from the most plugged-in reporters with the team. That includes Josh Kendall at The Athletic, who was asked in his recent mailbag column who he thinks will start Week 1. He begins with a caveat that he really doesn't know and nobody does at this point, but eventually predicts it will be Tua Tagovailoa on the strength of his health and superior accuracy compared to Michael Penix.
This aligns with our thinking, especially in light of the fact that Tua has taken every meaningful rep in 11-on-11 drills so far this offseason, which means he should have a better chemistry with Atlanta's pass-catchers than Penix right now.
If we're wrong and Tagovailoa ends up losing the QB battle to Penix, it will likely because he simply lacks the physical tools that Penix has - especially arm power. Penix has to learn to take a little heat off his passes and throw with more touch, but there's no question that he can put much more zip on his passes as well as reach further down field compared to Tua.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons insider predicts starting QB for Week 1 vs. Steelers
Continue reading...
