Of the things that can be said about the New Orleans Saints' performance on Sunday, most of it will probably end up negative. However, one bright spot is their veteran defensive end Cam Jordan. Jordan has talked about the necessary change from the previous system. On Sunday, he backed up those words with a strong opening performance.
The team captain would quickly get on the stat sheet on Sunday, sacking Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray on just the third play of the game. He wouldn't stop there either, gathering another sack later in the game with some help from his fellow defensive end, Carl Granderson. Jordan would have 1.5 sacks on the day, along with three tackles and one pass defended.
His performance on Sunday certainly got the approval of his new head coach. "I thought Cam was just really steady. I thought he did an excellent job," Kellen Moore said postgame. "He obviously was able to make some big plays for us, early in the game and down the stretch. I can't say enough good things."
Saints' Cam Jordan continues to climb the record books
For Jordan, the last half a sack he got with the help of Granderson would be the 123rd of his career. He now sits at 20th all-time, tied with Indianapolis Colts legend Robert Mathis. However, the now 15-year NFL veteran didn't seem to care one bit about reaching the landmark. "We didn't win. We'll talk about it after the season." Jordan said to the media postgame. "I could be top 10, but if we don't get a win, I'm not closer to my goal. I want the Saints to win."
Less than a week ago, people were expecting Cam Jordan to really embrace more of a mentor role on the defensive line, with him becoming more of a rotational player. However, a sudden calf injury to Chase Young caused him to see a lot more snaps than expected. Perhaps there's something to that, because Jordan himself said it helped get himself into a rhythm.
Following the game, the future hall of famer took to social media to say that he thought the team could be better. "What we felt in the 4th quarter can be the feeling from the jump! 24-hour rule, and not even 20 hrs from now we'll be back to gettin better."