Yahoo Finance Saints DE Cam Jordan ejected for throwing punch, takes blame for loss to Chiefs
The New Orleans Saints suffered a close loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in a game that could have swung on multiple plays.
Cam Jordan believes that he personally cost the Saints the game with a play that got him ejected in the fourth quarter.
With the Chiefs leading, 21-15 with 13:55 remaining, Jordan was ejected for punching Kansas City offensive lineman Andrew Wylie in the helmet. The Saints’ defensive end also drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the incident that happened as Jordan was engaged with Wylie while rushing Patrick Mahomes.
Did this deserve an ejection?
Cam Jordan gets called for unnecessary roughness here. Looked like he was trying to fight out of this block and his arm got up high.
They called it a punch and he’s ejected. I mean, wow. #Saints pic.twitter.com/HU4XyTuvt5— Jeff Nowak (@Jeff_Nowak) December 21, 2020
Mahomes threw incomplete on the second-down play at the New Orleans 26-yard line. Instead of third-and-9 on the next play, the Chiefs faced first-and-10 at the Saints’ 13 after the penalty on Jordan. Le’Veon Bell ran for a touchdown on the next play.
The Saints lined up for that play and the rest of the game without Jordan, a lynchpin of their defense.
Jordan takes blame for loss
Jordan implied after the game that he might not agree with the ejection, but took the blame for the play and said that it cost the Saints the game.
No excuses! No matter how I feel about it, an ejectable offense was the outcome, I hurt the squad, and in the 4th qtr on a crucial drive! that’s on me! This loss on me! Can’t happen! Whatever the correction I will be better
— cameron jordan (@camjordan94) December 21, 2020
The Bell touchdown extended Kansas City’s lead to 29-15, and a Saints rally ultimately fell short in Kansas City’s 32-29 win.
Saints head coach Sean Payton, who has been known to disagree with referees in the past, had no qualms with the decision to eject Jordan.
“We talked all the time about playing with emotion, but not emotional,” Payton said. “They’re pushing back and forth, and I see what the officials saw. They viewed it as a blow or a punch to the head. We’ve just gotta be smarter.”
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