Sean Payton had quite a night.
The Saints head coach received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty with just over a minute remaining in his team’s 20-17 loss to the Falcons on Thursday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, potentially preventing New Orleans from getting the football back with about 20 seconds left.
It wasn’t the first ill-advised move by Payton, though, as he also made a choking gesture toward Falcons running back Devonta Freeman earlier in the fourth quarter with the Saints leading 17-10.
Was this a reference to the Falcons blowing a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI?
It sure seems possible, especially since Saints wide receiver Willie Snead trolled the Falcons on Instagram before Thursday night’s game.
In any event, the incident, which occurred after Freeman rushed for no gain near New Orleans’ sideline, looks bad in hindsight, as the Saints ultimately coughed up a seven-point lead Thursday. And they did so in dramatic fashion, as quarterback Drew Brees tossed an interception with 1 minute, 25 seconds remaining despite New Orleans already being well within range for a potential game-tying field goal.
Payton insisted after the game that he didn’t remember making the gesture, but it definitely caught the attention of Freeman, who even tweeted “AINTS lol” before then deleting the post.
“Man, I saw it,” a chuckling Freeman told reporters, per ESPN.com. “That man don’t know nothing about choking. He ain’t from where I’m from. He don’t know about choking. He’s a good competitor. The ‘competes’ probably came out. But we don’t let that bother me. He don’t know nothing about choking.”
The Saints and Falcons will play again in two weeks on Christmas Eve in New Orleans. That showdown could be huge, too, as New Orleans pulled to within a game of Atlanta in the NFC South with Thursday’s victory.
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