It’s a sad start to the season for star-crossed Falcons

PITTSBURGH — It’s like the setup for a bad joke that you’ve heard too many times before.

What happens when the Falcons start a third-string quarterback with a bad back in the first game of the season?

The punchline: The Falcons still had a chance to beat the Steelers with Cooper Rush, but the new kicker they signed isn’t such a sure thing now that he plays for them.

For nearly any other NFL team, it all might be written off as weird circumstances. For the downtrodden Falcons, the 20-13 loss to the Steelers on Sunday is just another chapter in a seemingly never-ending story of sadness.

Rush got the call to start after Tua Tagovailoa suffered an oblique injury during practice on Thursday. Tagovailoa was going to start despite a bad preseason because Michael Penix Jr. is medically clear to play, but not ready to play.

The season hadn’t even started and already so much was going wrong for the Falcons.

“For us, we just try to adapt,” Falcons running back Bijan Robinson said. “I understand things happen sometimes. Something happens in practice, the next man has to step up. For ‘Coop,’ that’s what he did.

“I give him credit, man. He came in the fire when he may not have expected it and he took advantage of it.”

Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski decided that Rush at less than peak health gave the Falcons a better chance to win than undrafted rookie Jack Strand. I don’t blame Stefanski for going with the most experienced option even if Rush wasn’t feeling his best.

“I was able to get out there and play, and I was proud of that,” Rush said.

I also can’t knock Rush for the bad performance with a sore back.

His accuracy was off all game, and he threw one interception that set up a Pittsburgh touchdown and another that resulted in a pick-six for T.J. Watt. But there isn’t a team in the NFL who can count on their No. 3 quarterback to win a game on the road under the circumstances faced by Rush.

Veteran kicker Nick Folk was the bigger letdown for the Falcons. He missed one field goal attempt in each of the past two seasons with Tennessee. Folk missed his first two tries with the Falcons, from 54 and 45 yards in the first half.

Make those and the Falcons would have been driving with a one-point deficit instead of seven late in the fourth quarter.

“Nick’s not going to be perfect this year,” Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said. “I don’t expect him to be perfect. I don’t expect our team to be perfect. But you want your guys to respond to (mistakes), so I know he’ll respond.”

Folk made both of his field goal tries in the second half, from 51 and 43 yards. The latter score cut Pittsburgh’s advantage to 20-13 with 10:35 left in the game. The Falcons got one last chance to go ahead because their defense held again.

Za’Darius Smith sacked Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers for an eight-yard loss on third down. That set up a 54-yard field goal try by Chris Boswell, who missed wide right. The Falcons got the ball at their 46-yard line 6:58 to play.

Robinson ran for 15 yards on the first play, to Pittsburgh’s 39-yard line. That was field goal range, but the Falcons needed a touchdown. The Steelers sacked Rush on third down, then ran out the clock with three first downs on their final possession.

Folk’s missed field goals hurt the Falcons. So did Rush’s two turnovers, and nine penalties for 96 yards (the Steelers declined two penalties).

“Our guys fought till the end there but, really, if you look at the penalties, the turnovers — including a defensive score for them — it’s just hard to win on the road when you so those things,” Stefanski said. “It’s hard to win, period.”

The quarterback situation made it harder for the Falcons. If nothing else, this game would tell us something about the Falcons’ defense and the team’s spirit with new coach Stefanski.

The Falcons had a chance to win despite all their mistakes, mostly because the defense did its part. The Falcons held the Steelers to 4.1 yards per play and forced a turnover. Pittsburgh’s offense scored one touchdown on a short field after Rush’s first interception.

The Falcons gained 94 yards in the first half but trailed just 13-7 at halftime. Folk finally made a field goal on his third try to pull the Falcons within 13-10 late in the third quarter. The Steelers went three-and-out on their next possession.

Robinson rushed for 20 yards on the first play of the next drive and, suddenly, the Falcons were near midfield with a chance to tie or go ahead. That’s when Rush made his biggest mistake of the game.

Rush tried passing to Robinson in the right flat, but Watt was ready. Pittsburgh’s four-time first-team All-Pro linebacker leaped to snag Rush’s pass and stumbled before getting up and running for a 35-yard touchdown.

“Watt makes a play,” Rush said. “He’s done it for a long time. That’s why he’s one of the best. He’s done it every year and now I’m on the list, too.”

Rush got his first start since subbing for injured Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in Week 6 of last season. First-time play-caller Tommy Rees cobbled together a passing game that was heavy on short routes and quick routes. That was a reasonable approach given Rush’s limitations and Pittsburgh’s ferocious pass rush.

The Falcons would have to win with strong games from their defense and the playmaking trio of Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts Sr. The Falcons played well enough defensively to win, but Robinson was the only offensive star to make an impact.

Robinson gained 173 yards on 29 touches and a scored touchdown. London had two catches for 29 yards. Pitts streaked free behind the defense in the first quarter, but Rush’s pass was behind him. That was the only target of the game for Pitts.