The Atlanta Falcons have finally made their decision at quarterback, and honestly, it feels more like a decision they had to make than one they wanted to make.

The Falcons officially named Tua Tagovailoa their starting quarterback for Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with Michael Penix Jr. remaining on the sidelines as he continues to work his way back from last season’s ACL injury.

And that’s really the biggest reason Tua is getting this opportunity.

Penix simply did not have enough time to properly compete for the job.

He wasn’t cleared for full 11-on-11 work until late August and didn’t play in any preseason games. Tua, meanwhile, received most of the first-team work throughout training camp and started Atlanta’s first and final preseason games.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean Tua won this job because he was clearly the better quarterback.

Quite frankly, his preseason did very little to convince anyone that he is the long-term answer in Atlanta.

Tua completed 10 of 13 passes for 117 yards across his two preseason appearances, with no touchdowns or interceptions, but his overall performance did not exactly inspire confidence. He also had a couple of ugly fumbles during the preseason.

That’s a major concern for Atlanta because this offense has way too much talent around the quarterback to waste a season.

The Falcons have Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts and other talented weapons. This should be an offense capable of putting serious pressure on opposing defenses.

But all of that becomes much harder when the quarterback isn’t playing well.

And that’s the nightmare scenario for Atlanta.

Tua is now being asked to lead an offense with legitimate playmakers, but if he struggles to move the ball, turns the ball over and can’t consistently make the throws this offense needs, the Falcons could find themselves wasting another talented roster.

Maybe Tua proves everyone wrong.

Maybe he stays healthy, plays efficiently and brings some of the quarterback we saw when he led the NFL in passing yards in 2023 back to Atlanta.

But based on what we’ve seen recently, that’s a massive question mark.

For now, it feels like Tua is the starter because Penix wasn’t ready to take the job back yet.

And if Tua struggles, Falcons fans are going to start asking the same question very quickly:

How long until Michael Penix gets his chance?