Cooper Rush Gets the Week 2 Nod as Falcons Keep Michael Penix Jr. in Bubble Wrap

The Atlanta Falcons are officially rolling with Cooper Rush as their starting quarterback for Week 2, which is exactly the kind of sentence that makes you double-check what year it is. Ian Rapoport reported that Rush is taking the first-team reps because Michael Penix Jr. is simply not ready yet.

Penix is still working his way back from the torn ACL he suffered last November. Rushing a franchise quarterback onto the field before his knee is fully structurally sound is how you turn a rebuild into a multi-year tragedy, so keeping him in bubble wrap is the only logical move.

"Ian Rapoport reported that Rush is taking first-team reps and is expected to start Week 2, noting Penix is 'not quite ready.'"

But that leaves Atlanta with Rush, who just piloted the offense to a thrilling 13 points in a Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rush went 12-of-22 for 143 yards in that 20-13 defeat, producing a stat line so aggressively boring it could be prescribed as a sleep aid.

Now the Falcons get to host the Carolina Panthers this Sunday. If you are looking at the game totals for this NFC South showdown, you are basically trying to guess which offense will accidentally stumble into the end zone twice. It is the kind of matchup that tests the absolute limits of how much football a sickos-level fan can actually stomach.

For now, Atlanta is just trying to survive the early schedule without breaking their prized investment. Penix will eventually take the keys when his body allows it, but until then, Falcons fans get to experience the pure, unadulterated thrill of the Cooper Rush experience.