New Delhi, Sept. 7 -- The Atlanta Falcons have their Week 1 quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa will start Sunday's season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium, the team announced Monday, closing a months-long competition with Michael Penix Jr. It is Atlanta's sixth different Week 1 starter in six seasons. Kickoff is 1 PM ET.

Tua Tagovailoa signed a one-year, $1.3 million deal in March after the Miami Dolphins released him and absorbed a record $99.2 million in dead cap. He spent most of training camp with the first-team offense.

Michael Penix Jr. tore his ACL in November 2025 against Carolina and had season-ending surgery. He was not cleared for 11-on-11 work until the final week of camp and did not play in the preseason....