FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t name a starting quarterback for the team’s Thursday night bout with the Packers, but he said he will “potentially” have an update by Monday night.
“I don’t have an update right this minute,” Stefanski said Monday. “I have a decent idea of where we’re going, but I’ve not yet talked to the players. We have meetings later today, so I’ll update you guys when appropriate on that, but bottom line is we got to continue to put our plan together on offense, defense and special teams, and find a way Thursday night in Green Bay.”
The Falcons benched quarterback Cooper Rush midway through the third quarter of Sunday’s 34-3 loss to the Panthers and replaced him with undrafted rookie Jack Strand. Rush went 10-for-17 passing for 86 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions to pair with a lost fumble, while Strand was 8-of-15 passing for 59 yards and no touchdowns, and both had an interception and fumble.
Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa, who battled for the starting job all offseason, were inactive with knee and oblique injuries, respectively.
Stefanski said he talks to Penix, who tore his ACL last November, every day about his recovery process. The coach deferred when asked if he believes Penix will play this week.
“I’ll give you an update when I’ve been able to talk to the players and work through it,” Stefanski said. “So, I don’t have an update right this minute, but again, constant communication with Mike, with all of our guys, so we’ll work through it this week.”
Stefanski offered a positive update on Tagovailoa, who injured his oblique during warmups at practice Sept. 10, three days before he was set to start under center.
“Getting better,” Stefanski said. “We’ll work through what that means for this week, but definitely getting better.”
After Sunday’s defeat, Stefanski said Rush is “giving us everything he’s got,” and the Falcons’ first-year coach is “very excited” about Strand’s development.
“The work he’s putting in this building constantly is impressive,” Stefanski said. “To see where he’s come from, from Day 1 until now, I’m really proud of him. He’ll continue to work, and he’ll be better for the reps he got yesterday. But he also recognizes there’s a ton of work to do. And that’s what we’ll do here — we’ll put our head down and we’ll get back to work.”
Given their quick turnaround and looming primetime matchup, the Falcons didn’t put anything on their players’ schedules until a lift at noon Monday, so Stefanski hadn’t yet seen his players when his availability began at the same time.
That, he said, is the primary holdup in waiting to announce a starting quarterback.
“I want to be able to talk to the team first before I can comment any further on really a bunch of positions, but particularly the quarterback position,” Stefanski said. “I think you can understand that’s important to me, that I talk to the players first.”
The Falcons and Packers will kick off at 8:15 p.m. Thursday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
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