Sometimes, numbers lie.

Likely, defensive end Cameron Jordan wasn't selected by vote to play in his third Pro Bowl because his team-leading 7.5 sacks weren't gaudy enough, and didn't measure up to his totals in Pro Bowl seasons of 2015 (10 sacks) and '13 (12.5). But Jordan possibly constructed his most disruptive season to date in '16, measured by impact if not accolade.

The six-year veteran had 58 tackles, six passes defensed, a forced fumble and, according to Pro Football Focus, a whopping 70 pressures, among the top five in the league when it comes to defensive linemen. He rarely left the field on defense – Jordan is as effective in run defense as he is applying pressure – and hasn't missed a game in his career.

Jordan has been a dependable force, and the New Orleans Saints are depending on him to continue being one.

BEST GAME: Understand the Broncos if they thought they were seeing double on Nov. 13, because Jordan was just that much of a nuisance for the defending Super Bowl champions that day in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. He had nine tackles (eight solo), a sack and at least a handful of pressures while harassing Denver quarterback Trevor Simien for four quarters.

BEST QUOTE: "(The Saints' record) is 7-9, and three years straight of 7-9. You can only look forward to next year and one day, living up to the potential that you have on paper. Every year for the past three years, we've said, 'If these guys can play to their potential, we're going to have a heck of a defense.' And at the end of the day, that's not what we've lived up to. It's been a roller coaster ride. It was never consistent enough to play at an elite level for the entire game. That's something that we have to live on for the next four or five months. We were hoping that we would evolve into a great team by midpoint of the season. I do think we saw some changes happen, but it wasn't rapid enough. And that's something that we have to keep on growing toward for next year." – Jordan