The New Orleans Saints made several big plays on defense in their 52-38 win over the Detroit Lions. While several Saints defenders stood out on Sunday, defensive end Cameron Jordan‘s excellent performance sealed the victory. After leading 45-10 in the third quarter, the Saints lead quickly shrunk as the Lions rallied to score 28 points in less than 15 minutes. Jordan came alive in the second half, recording two sacks and an interception for a touchdown that helped derail the Lions comeback attempt. Here’s a breakdown of those three plays with video links in the headings.
New Orleans Saints Week Six Film Analysis: Cameron Jordan
Sack One – 14:14 Remaining in Third Quarter
Jordan lined up in his usual position at left defensive end, and the Saints came with a four-man blitz. He shifted inside after the snap to take on Lions right guard Emmett Cleary, while linebacker Craig Robertson blitzed to Jordan’s left. Jordan, Robertson, and defensive end Trey Hendrickson on the other side got good penetration quickly, collapsing the pocket around Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. Robertson and Jordan’s bull rushes were so effective that they managed to push their blockers right into the quarterback. The Saints pass coverage did its part, and Stafford had nowhere to throw the ball as Jordan swallowed him up.
Part of the reason why the Lions offensive line seemed so overwhelmed on the play was because center Travis Swanson came up to block Saints linebacker A.J. Klein, who was actually in coverage on running back Zach Zenner. Klein hid his intentions masterfully, charging into Swanson as if he was blitzing, and then backing off as he followed Zenner on a route out of the backfield. Swanson was left with no one to block in front of him, and was completely unaware of the chaos in the backfield.
This third-down sack led to a Lions punt, delaying their comeback attempt when they were facing a 21-point deficit. Just minutes later, they were up against a 35-point margin.
Sack Two – 1:52 Remaining in Third Quarter
The Saints rushed only three defenders on this play, yet Stafford was on the ground within two-and-a-half seconds of taking the snap. Jordan initially ran towards the outside shoulder of Lions right tackle Brian Mihalik, then planted his left foot and charged right into the lineman. Caught off-guard, Mihalik lost his leverage and with a powerful shove, Jordan sent him flying into Stafford. Any hope of the quarterback escaping was ruined by Hendrickson’s great penetration from the opposite side, and Stafford was buried by his own blockers.
Detroit’s protection fell apart so quickly because of a great fake-out by Saints defensive tackle David Onyemata, which distracted the left guard and center. After the snap, Onyemata took one step forward, and then actually waived at the guard as he dropped back into coverage instead of rushing. The right guard was matched up with defensive tackle Tyeler Davison, so no blocker was in position to help Mihalik contain Jordan. Prior to week six, Mihalik had never started in an NFL game and was badly out-matched against an elite edge defender like Jordan
Interception, Touchdown – 5:08 Remaining in Fourth Quarter
Lined up at right defensive end, Jordan stunted inside and took a block from the Lions center. As Stafford read through his options and scanned right, Jordan followed his eyes and moved in the same direction. Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins provided some pressure on Stafford on a bullrush from the strong side, forcing the quarterback to attempt a pass to tight end Eric Ebron. Jordan put his hand up at the perfect moment and deflected the pass. He quickly located the ball in the air, moved right underneath it, and caught it in the Lions end zone.
By this time, the Lions had managed to narrow the Saints lead down to just seven points, and still had plenty of time to tie the game. This clutch interception by Jordan effectively ended Detroit’s comeback, but he still wasn’t done making plays. When the Lions took over on offense again, Jordan made another interception possible when he put a big hit on Lions running back Theo Riddick. The back was trying to make a catch, but couldn’t hold on as the ball bounced off of Jordan’s shoulder and into safety Kenny Vaccaro‘s hands.
After five games, Pro Football Focus has Cameron Jordan graded at 92.7, which is the highest among all NFL edge rushers in 2017. He’s also the longest-tenured player on this young defense, and his leadership will be just as important as his play-making ability as the Saints try to make a playoff run.
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