Earth gets bombarded by meteorites

The following is a fictional conversation between Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye.

Bill Nye: I was wondering, if the Earth got bombarded by meteorites, would it have an effect on the rotation of the Earth?

Neil DeGrasse Tyson: Yeah.

Bill Nye: How?

Neil DeGrasse Tyson: I mean, there are two ways that we know of.

Bill Nye: Yeah.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson: One is that if you have a large enough meteorite hitting the Earth, you might have some effects on the atmosphere.

Bill Nye: Yeah.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson: And the other is, if you have a large enough meteorite hitting the Earth, you could throw the Earth into a different orbit.

Bill Nye: Yeah.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson: Now, you say, “Oh, that’s not gonna work. The Earth is so big,” but you’re forgetting that we’re not just floating around the sun. The sun is also not just floating around the galaxy.

Bill Nye: Right.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson: So, if you have a big enough meteorite, it could throw the Earth out of its orbit.

Bill Nye: Yeah, and in ancient times, there were more meteorites.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson: Yes.