NFL Twitter in stitches over Falcons defenders comedy of errors during TNF

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota. (Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota. (Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports) /
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NFL Twitter wanted a refund watching the Falcons and Panthers stink it up on TNF, especially after Atlanta defenders tackled each other on a Carolina TD.

The slate of Thursday Night Football games all season has felt like games handpicked to be uniquely terrible. So it wasn’t really a surprise this Thursday with the Falcons and Panthers going head-to-head that more bad football would be on display.

Still, there’s a difference between being ready to witness awful and actually seeing it play out. NFL Twitter knew what was coming. It didn’t make the first half between Atlanta and Carolina any more palatable.

The Panthers took a 13-3 lead on the Falcons at halftime despite not playing particularly well themselves. That’s because Atlanta was astoundingly bad. No moment represented that more thoroughly than Laviska Shenault scoring a touchdown because two Falcons defenders tackled eachother.

NFL Twitter can’t believe how bad the Falcons were on TNF

The game as a whole was continually roasted on Twitter beyond that one moment.

Panthers quarterback PJ Walker wasn’t exactly lighting things up in the first half. He was 5-of-7 for 38 yards. However, he far outplayed Marcus Mariota simply by not making killer mistakes. The Falcons quarterback threw a bad interception while completing 8-of-14 passes.

Eddy Pineiro made a 46-yard field goal in the first quarter despite the ball hitting off the upright. Shenault’s 41-yard touchdown on a backward swing pass made it 10-0 in favor of the home team. Pineiro was good again from 49 yards to give Carolina a 13-0 lead.

As time expired in the half, Younghoe Koo cut into the deficit for the Falcons with a 33-yard kick.

Conditions weren’t favorable for either offense with the rain coming down. Who are we kidding though, this one would have been ugly in the sunshine too.

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