Three Winners, Two Losers after Falcons Name Tua Tagovailoa Starter vs. Steelers

Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. may both be left-handed, but they have very different styles. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will start on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect The Atlanta Falcons named Tua Tagovailoa the starting quarterback for Sunday's Week 1 clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Michael Penix Jr. was in contention to start the opener, but he was ruled inactive for Sunday, and Tagovailoa will get a chance to solidify the job through good play. While both quarterbacks are left-handed, their styles couldn't be much more different. Penix has a howitzer of a left arm, doesn't particularly like to scramble, and has struggled with accuracy during his first two seasons in the NFL. Tagovailoa doesn't have the arm strength of Penix, has been considerably more accurate in his career, and is quick to abandon the pocket, maybe too quick if you ask Miami Dolphins fans. With the contrast in styles, who are the Week 1 winners and losers for the Falcons with Tagovailoa? Winner: TE Kyle Pitts Sr. Tagovailoa excels in the short passing game. A staple in new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees' offense has been the shallow crossing route that hits receivers in stride and let's them accelerate up field. His screen game has also included players in motion, instead of dropping off the line of scrimmage and catching the ball flat-footed. KP down the sideline! With the @DrakeLondon_ block 👀 FOX | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/5vQ1gLa0gH — Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) August 28, 2026 Pitts' best seasons have come with accurate quarterbacks who don't necessarily have strong arms. He was a Pro-Bowler as a rookie with Matt Ryan, and last season, Kirk Cousins helped him get a contract extension with 469 yards in Cousins' six starts to close 2025. Loser: WR Drake London This might be a stretch, because London is so good, but Tagovailoa isn't likely to spam London targets at the same rate Penix has in his career. Last season, London had at least eight targets in all but one of Penix's starts. He didn't have more than eight in any of the three games with Cousins. He averaged 36.3 yards per game last season with Cousins and 90.0 yards per game with Penix as his quarterback. Penix has a much stronger arm to push the perimeter of the defense, but that could be mitigated by moving London into the slot to get him touches. London won't care about fewer touches if the Falcons are winning (see his block for Kyle Pitts above), but fantasy owners might. Winner: WR Jahan Dotson Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Jahan Dotson was signed as a free agent from the Philadelphia Eagles. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect With so many targets going to London last year, the second wide receiver was virtually ignored in Atlanta's offense. Darnell Mooney didn't do a lot to help himself, but he only had 12 catches in his first seven starts of the season. Even when he was targeted, He and Penix rarely found a connection. He had four catches on 11 targets in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers, and an abysmal one catch on eight targets in an overtime loss to the Colts helped seal his fate for the offseason. Dotson was brought in from Philadelphia to replace Mooney, and he should the ball more often in the short passing game with Tagovailoa at the helm. He had three catches on three targets against the Dolphins to close the season. He still might only be the fourth option in the Falcons' offense behind London, Pitts, and running back Bijan Robinson, but he shouldn't be the forgotten man on Sunday against the Steelers. Loser: RB Bijan Robinson Robinson should benefit in the short passing game from Tagovailoa. He caught 79 passes last year for 820 yards and four touchdowns, but he will likely face more defenders close to the line of scrimmage. Tagovailoa is going to have to take a few shots downfield just to keep the safeties honest. A healthy dose of play-action should benefit both Robinson and Tagovailoa. That particular weapon was ignored by the Falcons last season. Winner: Falcons Offensive Line Atlanta Falcons right tackle Jawaan Taylor was signed as a free agent to replace Kaleb McGary. | Scott Kennedy, Atlanta Falcons On SI In a vacuum, Tagovailoa puts more pressure on the offensive line with his willingness to extend plays. That typically leads to more sacks, which can get blamed on the offensive linemen. However, the mental pressure placed on the line for Week 1 against the Steelers if Penix was out there would be enormous. He's been fully cleared at practice for a little more than a week and hasn't taken any contact since tearing his ACL in November. Like a pitcher who needs to be perfect when a team isn't hitting, the Falcons linemen would hold their collective breath if Penix got hit. While Tagovailoa has his own injury history, the offensive line can play a little more relaxed in the season opener, knowing he's behind them. Enjoy our content? Make FalconsOnSI a Preferred Source to see more stories from us on Google: https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=si.com Add us as a preferred source on Google SCOTT KENNEDY Follow ScoutKennedy