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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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The Atlanta Falcons are one of several NFL teams trying to figure out their starting quarterback situation for the depth chart ahead of the NFL season.
On Friday night, they had their first preseason game at home against the Denver Broncos, giving head coach Kevin Stefanski and his staff a chance to evaluate one of their potential picks: offseason signing Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa didn't do much at all in his limited performance, as he fumbled a snap and completed 3 of 5 passes for 22 yards before heading to the bench. From there, two other backups, Cooper Rush and undrafted rookie Jack Strand, had some time on the field, with neither doing much beyond Strand's three-yard rushing touchdown.
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The Falcons were held scoreless in the first half by the Broncos, and had just Strand's TD in the second half. Ultimately, Denver defeated them 27-7, with last season's QB1 Michael Penix Jr. watching as his fellow quarterbacks struggled.
More news: Tua Tagovailoa Addresses Lackluster Falcons Debut: ‘Not Up to Par’
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Penix Jr. also became part of a Falcons meme that went viral from the game, which featured Tua Tagovailoa seated on the bench.
In a brief video clip, Penix Jr. is standing near the bench where Tagovailoa's back to him. Penix Jr. turns towards someone not in the clip while pointing at Tagovailoa.
Individuals on social media ran wild with the clip and screenshots of Penix Jr. pointing at Tagovailoa to suggest he wasn't a fan after witnessing his lackluster game.
"This meme has been all over my feed and every time I see it, I die laughing because that’s exactly how most of the fanbase feels," one commenter wrote as a reply.
"People are going to start realizing really quickly how brilliant of a coach Mike McDaniel is," someone wrote, referring to Tagovailoa's time playing for McDaniel on the Miami Dolphins.
Others wrote, "Legendary meme potential here" and "Atlanta is so cooked."
Atlanta signed Tagovailoa to a one-year contract this offseason following his release from the Dolphins. Mainly, they signed him as insurance in case their former No. 7 pick, Penix Jr., was unable to be ready in time to contribute this season.
Penix Jr. left last season's Week 11 game against the Carolina Panthers with a bad knee injury. Later, he underwent surgery for a partially torn left ACL, ending his season with the Falcons and putting him in recovery mode for the offseason.
As it stands, it's still unclear who will get to be the QB1 when the final depth chart hits ahead of the regular season. Penix Jr. may not be able to get on the field for any preseason games due to his ongoing recovery. While Tagovailoa has been able to play, it hasn't been any sort of impactful performance thus far.
More news: Sean Payton Takes Shot at Falcons Fans in Broncos’ Preseason Win
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