The Atlanta Falcons‘ preseason opener was ugly enough that their own fans let them hear it. Then Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton piled on.
With the Broncos up 24-0 on the Falcons at halftime on Friday night, Payton used his halftime interview to take a shot at the crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The jab was quick, and it stuck.
Sean Payton Takes Shot at Falcons Fans in Halftime Interview
Payton didn’t hold back when he was approached at halftime about the Broncos performance, along with his all-time record against the Falcons in Atlanta.
“A lot of people dressed up as empty seats today,” Payton said, per Denver Post columnist Troy Renck.
Falcons fans had just booed their own team off the field at the end of a first half in which Atlanta trailed 24-0, and Payton just piled on even more.
Renck, who reposted the interview, gave his own honest thoughts as well.
“#Broncos Sean Payton can’t resist taking [a] shot at [the] #Falcons during his halftime interview,” Renck wrote. “Not going to lie. I think it is hilarious.”
The clip spread quickly, becoming one of the highlights so far of the NFL’s first week of the preseason.
Broncos Blow Out Falcons as Atlanta Fans Voice Displeasure
The scoreboard gave Payton plenty of material. Denver rolled to a 24-0 halftime lead even without quarterback Bo Nix, who sat out the opener while recovering from offseason ankle surgery. Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger split the quarterback duties as the Broncos handled Atlanta with ease.
Payton spent 15 seasons tormenting the Falcons as head coach of the rival New Orleans Saints, going 21-9 against Atlanta while rarely passing up a chance to play up the rivalry. And it seems even in Denver, he’s keeping it going, trolling the Falcons with an upside-down smiley emoji on a story about the team’s rebuild. Friday’s dig was just the latest entry in a feud that never cooled.
For the Falcons, the night was a bad look for the beginning of the Kevin Stefanski era.
Preseason crowds are typically thin across the league, and upper-level seats often go unsold for August games. But getting singled out on a broadcast while trailing by 24, with boos raining down from the fans who did show up, isn’t the start Stefanski, or new general manager Ian Cunningham, wanted.
It’s the kind of clip that follows a fan base around all season long.
It also landed at a rough moment. The Falcons are already navigating a messy quarterback situation, an eight-game suspension for pass rusher James Pearce Jr. and a season-ending knee injury to edge rusher Jalon Walker. Mind you, a preseason blowout doesn’t count in the standings, but it added another sour note to a tough offseason.
None of it will matter come Week 1. Or was Friday’s night’s pummeling just the start to a rough season ahead?
The Broncos look to have much bigger goals ahead. They have stability, talent, and are so far free from injuries to their top players. They’ll probably have more fans attending Empower Field this season as well.
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