Update, Sunday: Tua Tagovailoa is inactive against Carolina, a second straight absence. Michael Penix Jr. is also inactive, so Cooper Rush starts again for Atlanta.
Tua Tagovailoa did not practice on Wednesday and was trending toward missing a second straight game all week. The Falcons named him their starter in August, but he strained his oblique in practice before Week 1 and watched Cooper Rush start the 20-13 loss at Pittsburgh. Rush (back) and Michael Penix Jr. (knee) were both full participants Wednesday, so Atlanta has two healthy options if Tagovailoa cannot go against Carolina on Sunday.
The Status
| Player | Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Atlanta Falcons |
| Injury | Oblique (hurt in practice the week of Sept. 10) |
| Practice | Did not practice Wednesday |
| Game | Sunday, Sept. 20 vs. Carolina, 1 p.m. ET on Fox |
| If out | Cooper Rush starts; Penix is now a full participant |
What It Means
Oblique strains for quarterbacks tend to linger because the injury sits in the throwing motion, and a missed Wednesday on a normal week is a bad sign for Sunday. The bigger question in Atlanta may be Penix, the 2025 starter who tore his ACL last season and has now put together full practices. Carolina is favored by 1.5 on the road, the only game in Sunday’s early window where the visitor is the favorite, and the line is that way because of the Falcons’ quarterback uncertainty.
Related
Week 2 starting quarterbacks · Week 2 injury report · Week 2 odds · Week 2 inactives
The Bottom Line
Tagovailoa missed Wednesday’s practice and looks unlikely for Sunday. Rush is the expected starter, with Penix healthy behind him. Friday’s designation settles it.