{
  "id": "c41c7e49-c9be-4e5e-9848-596c037d5bd0",
  "slug": "falcons-qb-tua-tagovailoa-oblique-out-vs-steelers-cooper-rush-to-start-ely4kj",
  "headline": "Falcons QB Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) out vs. Steelers; Cooper Rush to start",
  "category": "injury",
  "importance_score": 8,
  "is_rumor": false,
  "status": "updated",
  "update_note": "Additional reporting from Pro Football Talk.",
  "teams": [
    "Atlanta Falcons",
    "Pittsburgh Steelers"
  ],
  "players": [
    "Tua Tagovailoa",
    "Cooper Rush",
    "Kevin Stefanski",
    "Bijan Robinson"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "name": "NFL.com",
      "headline": "Falcons QB Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) out vs. Steelers; Cooper Rush to start",
      "description": "Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been ruled out for the Atlanta Falcons' season opener Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cooper Rush will get the start in his place.",
      "url": "https://www.nfl.com/news/falcons-qb-tua-tagovailoa-oblique-out-vs-steelers-cooper-rush-to-start",
      "published_at": "2026-09-11T05:30:10.000Z",
      "discovered_at": "2026-09-11T17:40:30.717Z",
      "image_url": "https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/t_editorial_landscape_12_desktop/league/iyvjqnnj7dr7afhuibdl",
      "image_alt": "Tua Tagovailoa_TN",
      "image_caption": null,
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    },
    {
      "name": "Pro Football Talk",
      "headline": "Tua Tagovailoa is out for Sunday at Pittsburgh",
      "description": "Cooper Rush gets the start at Steelers.",
      "url": "https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/tua-tagovailoa-is-out-for-sunday-at-pittsburgh",
      "published_at": "2026-09-11T17:48:46.000Z",
      "discovered_at": "2026-09-11T18:00:31.953Z",
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      "image_alt": "Denver Broncos v Atlanta Falcons",
      "image_caption": null,
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      "image_width": 1440,
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    },
    {
      "name": "FOX Sports",
      "headline": "Falcons Name Cooper Rush Week 1 QB; Tua Tagovailoa Has Oblique Issue",
      "description": "Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski announced that Cooper Rush will start at QB in Week 1, as Tua Tagovailoa deals with an oblique injury.",
      "url": "https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/tua-tagovailoa-injury-falcons-quarterbacks-cooper-rush",
      "published_at": "2026-09-11T18:01:01.000Z",
      "discovered_at": "2026-09-11T18:40:33.667Z",
      "image_url": "https://a57.foxsports.com/statics.foxsports.com/www.foxsports.com/content/uploads/2026/09/1294/728/tua3.jpg?ve=1&tl=1",
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      "image_caption": null,
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      "image_width": 1294,
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    },
    {
      "name": "Pro Football Talk",
      "headline": "Kevin Stefanski told Cooper Rush: Get the ball out quickly to our playmakers",
      "description": "Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski says starting quarterback Cooper Rush's job today is simple: Put the ball in the hands of the Falcons' playmakers, particularly running back Bijan Robinson.",
      "url": "https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/kevin-stefanski-told-cooper-rush-get-the-ball-out-quickly-to-our-playmakers",
      "published_at": "2026-09-13T14:06:18.000Z",
      "discovered_at": "2026-09-13T14:20:33.765Z",
      "image_url": "https://nbcsports.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6708ea4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3837x2158+0+0/resize/1440x810!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnbc-sports-production-nbc-sports.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fa5%2F6d%2F8cc3598e4b0b9ee55b0733fd305c%2F2294292454.jpg",
      "image_alt": "Denver Broncos v Atlanta Falcons",
      "image_caption": null,
      "image_credit": null,
      "image_width": 1440,
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    }
  ],
  "first_published_at": "2026-09-11T05:30:10.000Z",
  "latest_published_at": "2026-09-13T14:06:18.000Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-09-13T14:20:33.619Z",
  "munch_content": "NFL STORY\n\nHEADLINE:\nFalcons QB Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) out vs. Steelers; Cooper Rush to start\n\nCATEGORY:\nInjury\n\nTEAMS:\nAtlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers\n\nPLAYERS:\nTua Tagovailoa, Cooper Rush, Kevin Stefanski, Bijan Robinson\n\nLATEST REPORT:\nSeptember 13, 2026 at 10:06 AM EDT\n\nSOURCE REPORTING:\nNFL.com\nHeadline: Falcons QB Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) out vs. Steelers; Cooper Rush to start\nDescription: Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been ruled out for the Atlanta Falcons' season opener Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cooper Rush will get the start in his place.\nPublished: September 11, 2026 at 1:30 AM EDT\nURL: https://www.nfl.com/news/falcons-qb-tua-tagovailoa-oblique-out-vs-steelers-cooper-rush-to-start\n\nPro Football Talk\nHeadline: Tua Tagovailoa is out for Sunday at Pittsburgh\nDescription: Cooper Rush gets the start at Steelers.\nPublished: September 11, 2026 at 1:48 PM EDT\nURL: https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/tua-tagovailoa-is-out-for-sunday-at-pittsburgh\n\nFOX Sports\nHeadline: Falcons Name Cooper Rush Week 1 QB; Tua Tagovailoa Has Oblique Issue\nDescription: Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski announced that Cooper Rush will start at QB in Week 1, as Tua Tagovailoa deals with an oblique injury.\nPublished: September 11, 2026 at 2:01 PM EDT\nURL: https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/tua-tagovailoa-injury-falcons-quarterbacks-cooper-rush\n\nPro Football Talk\nHeadline: Kevin Stefanski told Cooper Rush: Get the ball out quickly to our playmakers\nDescription: Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski says starting quarterback Cooper Rush's job today is simple: Put the ball in the hands of the Falcons' playmakers, particularly running back Bijan Robinson.\nPublished: September 13, 2026 at 10:06 AM EDT\nURL: https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/kevin-stefanski-told-cooper-rush-get-the-ball-out-quickly-to-our-playmakers\n\nINSTRUCTIONS FOR CONTENT CREATION:\nCreate accurate social media content based only on the source reporting above.\nDo not invent facts, quotes, statistics, contract figures, injury details, or trade compensation.\nIf sources disagree, mention the uncertainty rather than choosing one unsupported version.\nThe output should be engaging but factually grounded.\n\nVISUAL MEDIA:\n\nPRIMARY VISUAL SUBJECT:\nTua Tagovailoa\n\nSUBJECT TYPE:\nPlayer\n\nCURRENT TEAM:\nAtlanta Falcons\n\nPRIMARY IMAGE REFERENCE:\nhttps://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/t_editorial_landscape_12_desktop/league/iyvjqnnj7dr7afhuibdl\n\nIMAGE SOURCE:\nNFL.com\n\nVISUAL SEARCH QUERY:\nTua Tagovailoa Atlanta Falcons 2026\n\nADDITIONAL IMAGE REFERENCES:\nhttps://a57.foxsports.com/statics.foxsports.com/www.foxsports.com/content/uploads/2026/09/1294/728/tua3.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 (FOX Sports)\nhttps://nbcsports.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/651e39e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3403x1914+0+218/resize/1440x810!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnbc-sports-production-nbc-sports.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F46%2F3a%2F95cf0cda43d280906c558723da71%2F2294295671.jpg (Pro Football Talk)\nhttps://nbcsports.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6708ea4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3837x2158+0+0/resize/1440x810!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnbc-sports-production-nbc-sports.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fa5%2F6d%2F8cc3598e4b0b9ee55b0733fd305c%2F2294292454.jpg (Pro Football Talk)\n\nMEDIA INSTRUCTION:\n\nCreate social media content visually centered on Tua Tagovailoa because Tua Tagovailoa is the primary subject of this story.\nUse current Atlanta Falcons context where appropriate.\nDo not substitute an unrelated NFL player.\nDo not use an outdated team association if the current reporting establishes that the subject has changed teams.\nIf the supplied image reference cannot legally or technically be reused, use it only as visual context and obtain appropriately licensed imagery of the same subject or create a compliant original editorial graphic centered on that subject.",
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  "current_team": "Atlanta Falcons",
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      "source": "Pro Football Talk",
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  "social": {
    "post_headline": "TUA TAGOVAILOA IS OUT FOR SUNDAY AT PITTSBURGH",
    "base_image_url": "https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/t_editorial_landscape_12_desktop/league/iyvjqnnj7dr7afhuibdl",
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    "source_url": "https://www.nfl.com/news/falcons-qb-tua-tagovailoa-oblique-out-vs-steelers-cooper-rush-to-start",
    "source_name": "NFL.com",
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}