Aug 19, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Joe Flacco (7) fumbles after being hit by New England Patriots outside linebacker Matt Judon (9) during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
NFL Twitter roasted quarterback Joe Flacco after he was named the starter for the Philadelphia Eagles in their preseason game against the New England Patriots on Thursday.
The second week of NFL preseason action kicked off on Thursday night, as the Philadelphia Eagles hosted the New England Patriots. Eagles fans were no doubt looking forward to seeing quarterback Jalen Hurts get the start, but they were given the news that he would not be playing right before kickoff. The reasoning behind the late scratch was due to Hurts dealing with a non-COVID illness.
With Hurts no longer in play for Thursday night, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni called upon veteran and former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco to start. NFL Twitter reacted accordingly.
NFL Twitter reacts to Joe Flacco starting for Eagles against Patriots
On the third play of Philadelphia’s opening drive of the game, center Nate Herbig let off a bad snap, which Flacco recovered only to lose the ball following a hit by New England linebacker Matt Judon. To make things sting even worse for the Eagles, former cornerback Jalen Mills recovered the fumble. That basically set the tone for the Eagles’ night at Lincoln Financial Field.
Flacco completed 10-of-17 of his pass attempts for 83 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception.
On the opposite end of the field, the Patriots quarterbacks had strong performances. Cam Newton completed eight-of-nine passes for 103 yards and one touchdown at the start of the game, while rookie Mac Jones went 13-for-19 on his throws for 146 yards.
The Eagles have one more preseason game remaining on the docket, as they face the New York Jets on Aug. 27. Expect to see more of Joe Flacco in that game (and expect to see plenty of reactions on NFL Twitter as well).