The good news for the Atlanta Falcons after two games is that they have nowhere to go from here but up. It would be practically impossible for them to perform any worse than they have so far this season, especially on offense.
Going into Week 3, Cooper Rush and Jack Strand have the two lowest QBRs in the NFL, with nearly 20 points separating them from the rest of the field. They combined for five turnovers in Sunday's ugly loss to Carolina at home.
Bijan Robinson did admirable work despite poor run blocking, and Atlanta's defense deserves more credit than the 34 points that the Panthers scored might indicate. That being said, this team is quickly becoming a worst-case study in what happens when a roster has every piece except the one that matters
most.
As expected, the Falcons have earned an "F" grade from CBS Sports for their work in Week 2.
"Cooper Rush was bad in Week 1 and he might have been even worse this week. Rush turned the ball over three times, including a fumble and an interception on Atlanta's first two possessions, and Atlanta's QB nightmare continued. To make matters worse, after Rush got benched, Jack Strand came in and threw a pick-six with his first pass of the game. Nothing is going to be fixed in Atlanta until the Falcons get their QB situation figured out.:
In an 0-2 hole, the Falcons are already a long shot to make the NFL playoffs - even in the weakest division in the league. Nevertheless, they have to keep trying to figure out the quarterback situation.
Michael Penix Jr. is expected to return in time for Atlanta's Thursday night matchup against the Green Bay Packers, even though head coach Kevin Stefanski declined to provide an update after Sunday's loss. There has been very little reported about Tua Tagovailoa's mysterious oblique injury.
Somebody is going to have to step up this week or the season could essentially be over before most teams have played their third game.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons earn putrid grade for pathetic loss to Panthers
