New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan came up with two big sacks in his team’s overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, and he feels fortunate that he did not fall victim to the NFL’s highly unpopular new roughing the passer rules.
On his third down sack of Matt Ryan midway through the fourth quarter, Jordan quickly sprung to his feet and held his arms up as if to say, “See, I followed the rules!” He later tweeted about the play and poked fun at the NFL.
Promise I tried to follow the no hitting the qb rules @NFL I hopped up so fast Thank God there wasn’t a penalty… u know how the NFL is now #butamijoking https://t.co/RqAQEmlzfL
— cameron jordan (@camjordan94) September 23, 2018
It’s safe to assume Jordan heard about what happened to Clay Matthews before he sent the tweet. For the third week in a row, Matthews was flagged for roughing the passer. Matthews’ hit on Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith would have been perfectly legal in past seasons, but new rules are aimed at preventing defenders from landing on quarterbacks with all of their body weight. You can watch the play and judge whether you think Matthews did that.
Last week, Matthews was flagged for a similar hit on Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins, and that penalty may have cost the Green Bay Packers a win. Matthews ripped the NFL over the new rules after Sunday’s game, and you can bet Jordan agrees with everything he said.
