Only one time over the past 12 seasons have the New Orleans Saints played a regular season football game without the services of defensive end Cameron Jordan, and that absence wasn't injury related. Jordan, who was drafted by the Saints in 2011, has never missed a game due to injury in a career that has spanned 12 seasons and 186 regular season games.
Jordan's remarkable run will come to end during Sunday's game against the Rams, as he has been ruled out for Week 11 with an eye injury. He sustained the injury during last week's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jordan, who did not practice this week, tried to play through the injury, which left him with an eye that was nearly swollen shut.
Including the postseason, Jordan has played in 197 of a possible 198 games for the Saints since being the 24th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. The only game Jordan has missed to this point was last season's Week 14 game against the Jets after being placed on the COVID-19 list.
Jordan's incredible durability has been one of the hallmarks of what could end up being a Hall of Fame career. An All-Decade performer for the 2010s, Jordan is a seven-time Pro Bowler and one of the best pass rushers in league history. He's less than three sacks away from breaking Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson's franchise record of 115 career sacks. Jordan's 112.5 career sacks is the 35th highest total in league history and second among active players (Von Miller is 27th all-time with 123.5 sacks).
While he is on the back nine of his career, Jordan has been showing little signs of slowing down. He has 5.5 sacks this season along with 42 tackles and eight tackles for loss. The 33-year-old entered the season with the 39th spot on CBS Sports Senior NFL Writer Pete Prisco's list of the league's top 100 players.
Tanoh Kpassagnon is slated to replace Jordan in the starting lineup for Sunday's game. A second-round pick in the 2017 draft, Kpassagnon had a sack last week while making his first start of the season. He in the middle of his second season with the Saints after spending his first four NFL seasons in Kansas City.
