The short lived tenure of Cooper Rush as the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback is finally over as Michael Penix Jr. takes over on Thursday night. However, there is no debating the damage it has done to the organization and its fanbase after starting out 0-2 and seeing a lack of care from the front office and coaching staff. It was clear from the first quarter of the first agme that the Falcons had zero intention of attempting to win either game simply by allowing Rush to run the offense into the ground and simply hoping Bijan Robinson could create magic.
Now, you're going against a playoff level Green Bay roster and starting at the very real prospect of an 0-3 start. Penix is coming off yet another serious knee injury and has done little to win over the fanbase showing flashes of capability before being lost for the end of last year and the start of the 2026 season.
Adding insult to injury is the fact that Kirk Cousins is having a fantastic start with the Las Vegas Raiders and pushed the overlooked franchise to a 2-0 start. The Falcons are helpless to get any decision right when it comes to the position and there simply is no way around the frustration that continues to reach new heights in Atlanta.
Not since the 2017 season, have the Falcons had a winning season, as a reminder of how long this has been Tom Brady was that season's MVP and Matt Ryan was still in his prime. It has been this long not since the Falcons made the playoffs, but since the franchise had a winning season.
Falcons Fans Continue to Reach New Lows as the Franchise Continues to Show Lack of Care
Even the helpless Cleveland Browns with Deshaun Watson's ghost starting at quarterback managed to win a game. The Falcons simply can never seem to get out of their own way and that has been on full display this season. Perhaps the only saving grace is the hope that this is a final season of misery with Atlanta reaching a new low and losing enough to draft a franchise quarterback.
It is hard to see any other possible upside based on the complete frustration for a fanbase that has nothing to put their arms around The rebuild angle becomes more complicated when you look at the current roster and realize the offseason of re-signings have given Atlanta enough talent that a full rebuild isn't possible while the lack of urgency at the quarterback position created an ugly start to the season.
No question, this is a new low for Falcons fans with the onlyhope being that the franchise managesto keep Penix healthy and get the best version of the quarterback.
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