Eli Apple was giving it large on Twitter after the Bengals beat the Bills in the Divisional Round. However, the shoe is on the other foot now as Apple is taking a beatdown from Twitter after his Bengals loss in the AFC Championship game to the Kansas City Chiefs. Juan Thornhill and Brittany Mahomes are just two of the people getting in on the action.
Shannon Sharpe says Eli Apple is average
Eli Apple, a NFL cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals, has been the subject of much criticism following his trash talk and poor performance during the AFC Championship game. Despite his reputation for talking a big game, Shannon Sharpe of ESPN’s “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed” said, “I have never seen a more average player talk as much as he does.”
Apple’s trash talk hit a peak when he tweeted “Cancun on 3” to Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs after the Bengals’ win in the divisional round. This could be deemed offensive to a professional sportsperson as it implies they could not wait to get on vacation and are not upset to have their season come to an end. However, this just seems as though Apple was sarcastically wishing Diggs a happy vacation after the Bengals had eliminated the Bills.
Cancun on 3 🫶🏿 https://t.co/oOHSw1AMsT
— Eli Apple (@EliApple) January 24, 2023
However, Apple’s performance during the AFC Championship game left a lot to be desired. He was torched on several plays by Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who went for 6 receptions, 116 yards, and a touchdown. This led to a deluge of Twitter trolling, with users making fun of Apple for his performance and trash talk.
Juan Thornhill, a safety for the Kansas City Chiefs, added fuel to the fire with a video where he said, “Eli Apple, I’m going to smoke one for you,” as he prepared to smoke a cigar.
“ELI APPLE IMMA SMOKE ONE FOR YOU”
They are wildin right now 😂 pic.twitter.com/ES4oGJzEHr— KCP Armour (@GameArmourGame) January 30, 2023
Brittany Mahomes, wife of Chiefs quarterback Patrick, also joined in on the trolling, tweeting “Cancun on 3” after the Chiefs’ victory.
Cancun on 3✌🏼
— Brittany Mahomes (@BrittanyLynne) January 30, 2023
Twitter mocks Apple
Twitter was filled with jokes at Apple’s expense, with users poking fun at his trash talk and performance. One user tweeted, “Live look at Bills fans in Eli Apple’s mentions right now.” The tweet includes a meme of a car pulling up, glaring at another car while that driver simply stares forward.
Live look at Bills fans in Eli Apple’s mentions rn pic.twitter.com/0SeEeeD5Fo
— Adam Gorski (@AdamGorski_) January 30, 2023
Another joked, “Stefon Diggs running into Eli Apple in Cancun.” This time the caption is with a video of Kat Williams saying, “You shouldn’t have been talking s**t!”
Stefon Diggs running into Eli Apple in Cancun…pic.twitter.com/8Yxco9EkMT
— Eric Robinson (@_Eric_Robinson) January 30, 2023
These tweets perfectly capture the sentiment of fans and players alike, who are less than impressed with Apple’s talk and play on the field.
Despite the criticism, Apple remains a valuable member of the Bengals team and a talented player. However, it is clear that he needs to focus on improving his performance on the field rather than talking trash and risking the ridicule of NFL fans and players alike. Whether he can turn things around remains to be seen, but for now, it seems that Twitter users will continue to have a field day at his expense.