Tua Tagovailoa Ruled Out, Cooper Rush Gets the Start for Falcons Against Steelers

The Atlanta Falcons are officially hitting the emergency glass under center. ESPN's Marc Raimondi reported Friday that Tua Tagovailoa has been ruled out for Sunday's matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, handing the starting job to veteran backup Cooper Rush.

Going from your franchise quarterback to the backup completely rewires an offense on a few days' notice. Rush is a seasoned professional who knows how to manage a game, but asking him to replicate Tagovailoa's production is like asking a minivan to run the Daytona 500. It will get you from point A to point B, but it is not going to look pretty doing it.

"Tagovailoa out, Rush to start at QB for #Falcons vs. Steelers - Marc Raimondi"

The exact nature of Tagovailoa's absence is still murky, but the reality of the NFL is that you are always one awkward week away from handing the keys to a guy who usually spends Sundays wearing a baseball cap and an earpiece.

This is exactly the kind of late-week news that sends sportsbooks scrambling to pull lines off the board. Swapping out a starting quarterback ahead of a road game in a hostile environment like Pittsburgh completely changes the math for anyone looking at the spread or the point total.

Rush will take the first snap this Sunday when the Falcons head to Pittsburgh. Until the team provides a concrete timeline for Tagovailoa, Atlanta fans are going to have to get very comfortable with the Cooper Rush experience.