Atlanta Falcons Hate Week marches on. The Falcons offense was driving hard down the field against the New Orleans Saints defense on Thanksgiving Day, until it wasn't. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw a low pass that deflected off of backup Saints nose tackle Shy Tuttle's chest; Tuttle surprised by showing great awareness to intercept the ball.
What happened next was even more surprising. Tuttle didn't go down. Instead, the rookie out of Tennessee returned the interception into the open field, with only Ryan to stop him. And when Ryan tried to tackle the big man, Tuttle threw out a stiff arm and shoved Ryan into oblivion. A few Falcons linemen chased him out of bounds after that, though Ryan was busy trying to lift himself back up from the turf.
You can see it for yourself right here.
RUMBLIN' BUMBLIN' STUMBLIN' pic.twitter.com/1tjZZDm2TX
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 29, 2019
Unfortunately, it didn't count for much after a penalty on Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan. Jordan was flagged for a block in the back penalty on Ryan, having attempted to shield Tuttle during the return. It was an unnecessary penalty but not unforgivable -- how was Jordan going to know that Tuttle would destroy Ryan with that jab? We won't hold it against him when he was just trying to help his team. We'll take the viral moment that lived on long after the Saints ruined another holiday for Falcons fans.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Shy Tuttle's interception vs. Matt Ryan is the Saints Play of the Day
