Why Falcons, Cooper Rush have confidence in Week 2 bounceback — if necessary

FLOWERY BRANCH — When the Falcons’ quarterbacks went through footwork and hand-off drills during Wednesday’s practice, Cooper Rush paced the unit at each turn.

But when the Falcons progressed into routes-on-air and 11-on-11 periods, Rush split snaps with Michael Penix Jr., setting the stage for another weeklong quarterback question leading into Sunday’s home opener vs. the Carolina Panthers.

“It was good work,” Rush said Wednesday after practice.

With Penix inactive, Rush started the Falcons’ 20-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, going 12-for-22 passing for 143 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, including a 35-yard pick-six to Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt.

Tua Tagovailoa didn’t practice Wednesday because of an oblique injury, while undrafted rookie Jack Strand worked only with the scout team. If Penix, who said he still has physical goals to meet, isn’t ready to play Sunday, Rush appears in line to draw the start once more.

But Rush isn’t entirely healthy either, Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday. Rush played Sunday just over 24 hours removed from suffering back spasms. He told reporters, “It just happened,” and didn’t have an explanation for when, or why, it occurred.

Rush is undergoing treatment — “The usual stuff,” he said — to help his back and is still going through the process. He was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice and said he feels he’s made significant strides since Sunday.

“Feeling good,” Rush said. “A lot better.”

If Rush is thrown in the fire once more, Stefanski said he’s confident Rush will perform better than he did in Pittsburgh, where his -20.5 expected points added — or EPA — ranked worst among all quarterbacks, according to Next Gen Stats.

“Coop’s a veteran,” Stefanski said. “I think like any player, there are plays you want back. But also understand that with more reps, with more turns, comes experience and comes confidence.”

Rush reiterated an adage that film study shows it’s never as good, or bad, as one initially thinks. But he was transparent about his struggles, too.

“Just wasn’t mentally sharp enough, really,” said Rush, who was later asked what he needs to do to get the passing game rolling. “Just be efficient with my feet and eyes. That’s one thing I took from the game. It’s just having a better feel for some of the reads and things like that. It’s stuff you work on week to week; it never changes.

“So definitely, as you get in a groove, Week 1, you get in the next week. The next week, you try to get in a groove, and that stuff sometimes just irons itself out.”

The Falcons’ offense lacked a vertical presence under Rush’s guidance. Of his 22 pass attempts, 17 were within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. He averaged only 3.2 air yards per attempt, the lowest in the NFL for Week 1, according to Next Gen Stats. Given his short target distance, Rush’s 54.5% completion rate was 13.7% below expected, the worst mark in the league, according to Next Gen Stats.

Stefanski said the Falcons called the game based on what was in front of them. There were opportunities to push the ball downfield that Rush didn’t capitalize on, he said, but the Steelers’ pass rush, coverage and four batted passes also influenced the outcome. The numbers, he said, are based on what the defense presents.

The Steelers didn’t necessarily harass Rush — they blitzed just 7.7% of the time, the least in Week 1, and pressured him on only six of 26 drop-backs, a 23.1% clip that ranked second-fewest in the league — but the ball still came out in a hurry.

Rush said it was “a combination of everything,” from the Steelers’ defense to the Falcons’ hopes of getting the ball out quickly.

“They were playing tons of zone,” he said. “And, obviously, they have an elite pass rush — you don’t want to hold onto it forever. We got behind the sticks a bunch, a lot of deep zones there. It’s kind of just how the game plays out. You never go into a game with a goal of, you want to throw it farther or shorter. It’s just kind of how it goes.

“We’ve got really good players on offense. You want to get them the ball in space, and sometimes that might be behind the line of scrimmage.”

Star running back Bijan Robinson benefited, matching a career-high with eight receptions while posting 90 receiving yards, the fifth-best mark in his career. His 23-yard score came on a screen pass and was the Falcons’ lone touchdown.

But the rest of the Falcons’ skill players suffered. Receiver Drake London caught only two passes for 29 yards. Tight end Kyle Pitts was shut out for only the third time in 79 career games. Receivers Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus were the only two other players to log a reception, both hauling one grab apiece.

Rush inherited a difficult situation. He had only two days of first-team reps after Tagovailoa suffered an oblique injury during warmups the Thursday of game week, and it was Rush’s first time practicing with the starters since a two-minute drill the first week of training camp.

Given more practice snaps and general time on task has proved beneficial, he said, and are a key reason the Falcons think Rush’s second start can be markedly better than his first.

“Every rep you take — game rep, practice rep — you get better,” Rush said. “You just build this library in your head of different scenarios and coverages and throws, and just to draw on at all times. So, every rep really does matter.”