Don't try to tell Cam Jordan that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo can't take over a game and win a shootout. The New Orleans Saints defensive end knows from first-hand experience that isn't true. Jordan watched Garoppolo and the 49ers put up 48 points on the Saints during Week 14 and outduel future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees.
Garoppolo completed 26-of-35 pass attempts for 349 yards with four touchdowns that afternoon.
Jordan joined ESPN's Get Up and indicated he would not put it past Garoppolo to do the same thing against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. That's significant because the 49ers quarterback has been the subject of much criticism for his two playoff performances where he saw a reduced workload.
Garoppolo made just eight pass attempts in the NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers, completing six for 77 yards. Still, Garoppolo's Week 14 performance took Jordan by surprise.
"He did things that we weren't aware of at the time," Jordan said. "Nobody said, 'Ooh, Jimmy G is going to tear this defense up' until he played us, and then it was like, 'Hey, he has potential to tear defenses up.'"
Jordan notes all the weapons Garoppolo has at his disposal like George Kittle, Emmanuel Sanders, and quality running backs.
Oh, and despite his Saints putting up 46 points on the 49ers defense, Jordan likes what he has seen from the unit. Jordan, during his Super Bowl media tour, apparently, explained why on FS1's First Things First.
"As good as they are on offense, they're even better on defense, and that's what you're going to see (against the Chiefs)," Jordan said. "... When you talk about the Niners, you can't help but gush about the defensive linemen as you see four guys rushing the passer or sometimes even a fifth option here.
"You talk about Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner, and Solomon Thomas, Dee Ford, and that's just the first-rounders that have been there. You draft young (Nick) Bosa. So you've got five first-rounders? That sounds great to me."
And it's not just the defensive line. Jordan noted the presence of other contributors like Richard Sherman and an impressive group of defensive backs, as well as the team's linebackers.
"The defense is stacked, and I love it," Jordan continued.
Back on the topic of Garoppolo, Nick Wright tried to bait Jordan into admitting that no one expects the 49ers quarterback to put up big numbers. Jordan didn't take the bait, saying the Saints knew exactly what they wanted to do to limit Garoppolo — and still failed.
"I feel like he's got playmakers like George Kittle, who showed up big-time," Jordan added.