New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was forced out of the second half of Sunday’s showdown against the San Francisco 49ers with an injury. On Monday, the team provided a bit of clarity on what precisely went wrong and how long recovery is expected to take.
“Brees suffered a rib contusion in yesterday’s game, and he’ll have an MRI for cartilage damage today,” NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport revealed.
“But sources tell me and Tom Pelissero that New Orleans is bracing for Brees to miss some time to fully heal.”
Pelissero, also an NFL Network insider, then followed up on that initial report.
“Brees also has been dealing with an injury to his throwing shoulder that has limited his practice time in recent weeks,” he added.
“He’s beat up and may need some time to heal up for the stretch run. But today’s tests will tell more.”
The general expectation at this juncture is that Brees will be out for multiple weeks.
Brees went 8 of 13 for 76 yards and a touchdown on Sunday before prematurely exiting the outing. Backup quarterback Jameis Winston ultimately filled in for him, going 6 of 10 for 63 yards and no touchdowns. New Orleans ended up winning the game 27-13, thanks in large part to an impressive defensive effort from Malcolm Jenkins and Patrick Robinson. Both cornerbacks emerged from the day with an interception.
Dwight Howard kept it very real. https://t.co/aE7f0VaDIA
— Game 7 (@game7__) November 14, 2020
“I’m just taking it one day at a time,” Brees said on Sunday. “I’ve done that this entire season. And I’ll continue to do that. I’m not sure what tomorrow holds. But you can know I’m gonna do everything I can to be as effective as I possibly can come next week.
“I mean, nothing’s a long-term thing. It’s just a matter of how long it’s gonna be. And honestly, I really don’t know. It’s not something, quite to this extent, that I’ve experienced.”
Head coach Sean Payton also acknowledged that his quarterback was dealing with a lot of pain.
Dustin Johnson can’t keep his hands off Paulina. https://t.co/ZKIZyk3sd2
— Game 7 (@game7__) November 15, 2020
“As he came out in the second half, he felt it was really impacting him,” he said.
“His back felt sore as he tried to throw. He just came up to me and said, ‘Hey, I don’t feel I’m capable of playing.’ And so quickly we made the switch, and that happens sometimes.
“He felt strong enough about letting me know. And I know when he does that — which is probably gonna be the first time in 15 years that it was significant enough that he felt like he couldn’t function in the second half.”
Arguably the worst jerseys in sports history. https://t.co/c0y3BDd5Ut
— Game 7 (@game7__) November 15, 2020
The Saints have a fairly easy schedule over the next month, so if Winston was ever going to step in for Brees, this is the time. Over the next four weeks New Orleans has two games against the Atlanta Falcons, one against the Denver Broncos and one against the Philadelphia Eagles.
If Winston can go 3-1 during this stretch and Brees heels up properly, the Saints can get back on track just in time to make some noise in the playoffs.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
