The New Orleans Saints and Cameron Jordan are probably lucky that the Pro Bowl defensive end wasn’t ejected in the second quarter of their game against the Carolina Panthers.
But Jordan definitely cost the defense.
With just under four minutes to play in the first half, the Panthers were facing third-and-16 from their own 39. Linebacker Demario Davis had Carolina’s Kyle Allen sacked and was trying to rip the ball out of his grasp.
That should have been the end of the play, with the Panthers punting from deep in their own territory.
But then Jordan, a four-time Pro Bowler, came in at the end, bending at the waist and driving up with his right arm. He wound up drilling Allen in the helmet. As Allen fell to the Superdome turf he could be seen throwing his hand up and looking toward the official.
Jordan will likely argue that he was trying to punch the ball out, but the damage was done and it certainly looked bad. He was flagged for unnecessary roughness, giving Carolina a fresh set of downs and 15 yards.
The Panthers made the most of the second chance, scoring 12 plays later. After a failed 2-point attempt, they went into halftime down 17-15. The Saints ended up winning 34-31 on Wil Lutz’s 33-yard field goal on the game’s final play.
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