When you receiving a devastating fact-check by the Twitter account of an NFL football team, it might be time to delete your newspaper.

That very thing occurred on Wednesday, when the New York Times tweeted out two photos comparing the number of Patriots coaches and players who attended in 2015, when Obama was president, versus how many attended on Wednesday with President Trump:

Patriots’ turnout for President Obama in 2015 vs. Patriots’ turnout for President Trump today: https://t.co/OxMEOqZonI pic.twitter.com/pLmJWhOw1j — NYT Sports (@NYTSports) April 19, 2017

Clearly, the tweet makes the Obama White House visit look significantly better attended than the Trump visit. However, the Patriots quickly pounced on the Times’ attempt at partisan photography:

These photos lack context. Facts: In 2015, over 40 football staff were on the stairs. In 2017, they were seated on the South Lawn. https://t.co/iIYtV0hR6Y — New England Patriots (@Patriots) April 20, 2017

Twitter did not take kindly to the Times’ attempt to spread fake news:

The Patriots then tweeted out an actual direct comparison, contrasting the Patriots’ White House turnout from today to when New England won two Super Bowls in three years:

Comparable photos: The last time the #Patriots won two Super Bowls in three years, 36 players visited the White House. Today, we had 34. pic.twitter.com/Aslvf1RaXU — New England Patriots (@Patriots) April 20, 2017

Having been sufficiently humbled by a football team Twitter account, the New York Times actually did journalism, talked to some people in the know, and then sent out another tweet explaining their new position:

UPDATE: Patriots say # of players was smaller this year than 2015 (34 vs. 50) but total delegation was roughly the same. pic.twitter.com/Ij77Def8z5 — NYT Sports (@NYTSports) April 20, 2017

Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter: @themightygwinn