To say that the first half of the Atlanta Falcons' preseason opener went according to plan would be a bold-faced lie. The Falcons went into the halftime locker room trailing the Denver Broncos 24-0--and that's far from the first impression Kevin Stefanski should've wanted to make with this home fanbase.
Falcons fans couldn't possibly be more down in the dumps after the opening 30 minutes, but Broncos head coach Sean Payton managed to kick them while they're down. And it's only fitting that a man who has such a storied history against Atlanta decides to weigh in on such a lopsided first half.
While talking on the broadcast before going into the locker room, the Super Bowl-winning head coach threw a major chop shot the home crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, revealing that he was underwhelmed by the Friday Night turnout--even going as far to make fun of his ex-division rivals.
"A lot of people dressed up as empty seats today."
Sean Payton slammed Falcons fans after a pathetic first half of preseason
There are few head coaches Falcons fans hate more than Sean Payton, and this just essentially confirmed why that is. He's always been smug and a little bit cocky, and knowing the demolition his team put on the Dirty Birds, of course he couldn't resist throwing shade at a longtime adversary.
The most unfortunate part is that the 62-year-old has earned the right to talk all this trash. Payton holds a dominant 22-9 all-time record against the Falcons, including an 11-4 record in Atlanta. And while the Drew Brees vs. Matt Ryan years were fun, New Orleans still frequently got the best of us.
The first game of the Stefanski era was going bad enough, yet Payton decided to bury the Falcons. Cooper Rush threw two interceptions, including a 97-yard pick-six to Jahdae Barron, stalling their best drive of the game. And they were held to just six first downs and 119 total yards by their defense.
To make matters even worse, Jeff Ulbrich's (mostly starting) defense got picked apart by backup Jarrett Stidham. The pass-rush was non-existent and generated basically no pressure, which saw Stidham complete nine-of-15 pass attempts for 131 yards, 60 of which went to Courtland Sutton.
Losing to Payton's Broncos, even in the preseason still stings more than ever, especially since they were getting shut out. Hopes were so high, but nothing could go right, so the veteran coach was presented the perfect chance to salt the wound.
The fact of the matter is that Sean Payton is now coaching in the AFC West, yet the Atlanta Falcons cannot escape the nightmares this man has offered them over the years--and the preseason opener was just the latest and most disappointing chapter of this story.
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