The Saints’ 1st-round pick in 2018 seemed to have no regard for his future ability to walk after confronting Eagles’ Goliath, Jordan Mailata on Sunday. Enjoying a breakout campaign in 2021, Marcus Davenport’s 5.5 sacks and seven TFLs on the year are nearing career highs, as the UTSA product must have been feeling himself coming into Sunday.

According to PFF’s snaps by position, Davenport lined up as the left end or LOLB over Lane Johnson 40 times while battling Mailata on the right side only nine times. The tension between these two seemed to rise in the 1st quarter when Davenport gave a friendly shove to Hurts out of bounds which did not sit well with his 6-8, 365-pound bodyguard.

It only took a couple of reps against the former Rugby battering ram before Marcus snapped. After a Mailata pancake nearly 10-yards down the field, the 6-6, 265 pound Davenport thought to test his might against a literal giant. It’s tough to get a clear picture of what happened in the scrum after everyone began running over, but here’s what I saw.

While falling, Marcus attempts to pull Mailata down with him for a little ground-and-pound action. Not a very smart strategy, but Jordan easily flips him over with a vice grip on Davenport who’s trying to break free and get back on his feet.

Lane Johnson said, “It was like fucking UFC 286 out there” as the scrum escalated. Mailata had his own fun on Instagram, posting a picture of his pancake block on Davenport with the caption: “When push comes to shove 😈” and the location as the International House of Pancakes.

Some great comedy from the franchise left tackle, but more importantly, phenomenal instincts and execution to protect Jalen Hurts and put a defensive end in his place.

Mandatory Credit: Mitchell Leff|Getty Images