NFL quarterback ruled out of first game just days after being controversially named starter in crushing Week 1 injury blow

The Atlanta Falcons have scratched quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tagovailoa was limited in practice on Thursday after he suffered an oblique strain which led him to being considered 'day-to-day.'

But now, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Tagovailoa will not be good to go for Atlanta's season opener.

In his place, third-string quarterback Cooper Rush will get the start for Atlanta.

Rush will start due to injuries to not only Tagovailoa, but backup Michael Penix Jr as well.

Penix has been dealing with a nagging knee injury from last season which has impacted his preparation for this season. 

Penix, a third-year quarterback out of Washington, had his season end due to that injury which he has yet to fully recover from.

It's that injury that led new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski to hand the Week 1 reins to Tagovailoa.

However, he told reporters earlier this week that he has no clarity on who the starter for the following week will be.

'I've got the blinders on, so I see Week 1 in front of me and after this one, then we'll start on the next one and those type of things,' Stefanski said.

'So, I don't think it's fair to really go past this week on anything related to our football team.'

Tagovailoa was released this season by the Miami Dolphins, the team that picked him fifth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.

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