Falcons vs Steelers: Why is Tua Tagovailoa not playing today? Is he injured? Reason behind QB's Week 1 absence

The Atlanta Falcons opened their 2026 NFL season against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday without one of their key players, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Why is Tua Tagovailoa not playing today?

Tagovailoa had been named Atlanta's starting quarterback for Week 1 after joining the Falcons during the offseason. However, an injury suffered late in the week forced a change in plans, and he was officially ruled out on Friday before being listed inactive for Sunday's game at Acrisure Stadium.

What happened to Tagovailoa?

The 28-year-old quarterback suffered an oblique injury during Thursday's practice and was seen favoring his side after attempting a pass. He was limited for the remainder of the session, while Cooper Rush received additional first-team repetitions.

Who replaced Tagovailoa?

With little time for Tagovailoa to recover before the season opener, Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski was forced to turn to Rush as the starting quarterback.

Rush now has the chance to lead Atlanta in its first game under head coach Stefanski. The 32-year-old has made 16 starts across 42 career appearances and holds a 9-7 record as a starting quarterback.

Falcons face growing quarterback uncertainty

Atlanta's quarterback situation became even more challenging with Michael Penix Jr. also unavailable. Penix, who started for the Falcons last season, is still recovering from the knee injury that brought his 2025 campaign to an end and was also listed inactive against Pittsburgh.

Penix could reclaim starting role

Tagovailoa's status beyond Week 1 is also unclear, while Penix could potentially reclaim the starting role once he recovers from his knee injury.

Tagovailoa entered the offseason after a difficult 2025 campaign with Miami. Although he completed 67.7% of his passes, he threw 15 interceptions in 14 games as the Dolphins finished 6-8. He was later released by Miami and joined Atlanta during the offseason.

The Falcons also did not see a consistently strong performance from Tagovailoa during the preseason, leaving the possibility open for Penix to return to the starting lineup once he is healthy.

However, Atlanta will still hope Tagovailoa's absence remains limited to Week 1 as the team begins the season with its quarterback plans already disrupted.