Saints' Cameron Jordan reached a new height in strip-sack vs. Falcons
The New Orleans Saints made history in a positive sense for a change in Sunday's contest against the visiting division rival Falcons, starting with a new record for Cameron Jordan. The defensive standout did more than accomplish a personal record, he now has the 19th-most sacks of all time with a total of 126 after bringing down Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins in the first quarter.
Sacking Cousins puts Jordan right there next to legendary former Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney, who Jordan had the chance to surpass in that exact same outing. Here's a look at Jordan's takedown, which occurred roughly nine minutes into the matchup.
With that sack, Cam Jordan now has 126 career sacks, surpassing PFHOF DE Dwight Freeney for 19th all-time in @NFL history. https://t.co/0hQqrow8kW
— New Orleans Saints PR (@SaintsPR) November 23, 2025
Jordan headed into the game with 23 combined tackles (15 solo), 3.5 sacks, one fumble and one pass defended. He finished out the Saints' 17-7 win over the Carolina Panthers in his most recent appearance with two solo tackles, one sack and a fumble in one of his most dominant performances this year.
As one of the few bright spots then Saints have had in the midst of yet another lost season, how Jordan continues to add to his extensive list of accolades will be something to keep an eye on. He's building his resume for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Next up for him to surpass is Derrick Thomas (another Hall of Famer, like Freeney) at 126.5 sacks, and then Saints legend Rickey Jackson with 128.
One Bengals Player Would Have Been the Difference Between a Win and the Loss Sunday Against the Patriots
CINCINNATI – Do the Cincinnati Bengals beat the New England Patriots if Joe Burrow – and not Joe Flacco – plays quarterback Sunday at Paycor Stadium?
That’s hard to say.
You can’t just assume it would be peak Burrow coming in without a hint of rust and slinging the ball around the field after 10 weeks on the sideline.
Maybe the Bengals win. Or maybe it looks similar to what took place, with the New England Patriots prevailing 26-20.
Do the Bengals win if Ja’Marr Chase plays against the Patriots.
That one is damn near a definitive ‘yes.’
Unfortunately, Chase not only cost himself more $520,000 by spitting on Jalen Ramsey last week in Pittsburgh, but he also cost his team a win due to his one-game suspension.
And that cost the Bengals a chance to be two games out of first place in the AFC North with a Thursday date against the first-place Ravens Burrow coinciding with the return of Burrow to author the sort of run that made last year’s stretch run so memorable.
The Bengals got so many of the things that have been lacking in their lost season, including real, bonafide improvement from the beleaguered defense.
There were a couple of goal-line stands, an interception return for a touchdown and even solid tackling.
Yes, the defense wasn’t great, but there aren’t a lot of light switch moments in the NFL. The jump from awful to solid takes time, and Sunday was a significant – not superfluous – step in the right direction.
“We were showing what our real identity is,” said safety Geno Stone, who had a 34-yard interception return touchdown and career-high 13 tackles.
“It took a while – it took a lot – but we’re finding guys in the right spots, and we’re all just playing with heart right now. We’re owning up to all the mistakes we had early in the season.”
The unit gave up just 19 points to the hottest team in the NFL.
It was a Flacco pick six that ultimately ended up being the difference.
Chase Brown and the Bengals run game flashed again, even without the threat of Ja’Marr Chase taking attention away from it. Brown rushed for 107 yards with an average of 5.6 per attempt.
Evan McPherson kicked a franchise-record 63-yard field goal.
It was the kind of complementary football the team has been desperate for all year.
But because Ja’Marr Chase could keep his cool, the Bengals lost for the fourth game in a row and eight time in the last nine.
The Cincinnati defensive players never lost their cool, even as they put up historically wretched numbers and endured the criticism and taunts nationally and locally, including from their own fan base.
They answered tough questions without getting snippy or short.
They did everything right to prepare, even if they didn’t always rise to the occasion with their execution.
“They fought like crazy in a lot of different ways,” head coach Zac Taylor said. “Kept fighting them in the goal-line stands, representing who these guys are right now.
“I thought those guys fought for us, got us a turnover, a pick six. Just keep believing in those guys. They’re going to be fighting for us and finding a way.”
So many of the losses in this lost season are on that group.
But they played well enough to win Sunday.
Had Chase been running routes for Flacco, the game, and the ensuing conversations, would have been different.
The defense gave up 20 points last week at Pittsburgh and 19 today against New England.
That should be good enough to win most Sundays.
But they Bengals haven’t been able to balance each other, which is why their record is so out of whack.
Chase will get a shot at redemption Thursday night, presumably with Burrow throwing him the ball.
But it won’t seem to mean as much as it could have had Chase been on the field today.
The Bengals aren’t mathematically eliminated, but they’re close.
No team in NFL history has ever made the playoffs after starting 3-8.
If Burrow comes back and runs the table to get them to 9-8, could it be enough?
Or will it have the Bengals looking back on one specific loss to the Patriots as the reason they fell short, as was the case in 2024, just for different reasons.
