Why Saints fans shouldn’t panic without Drew Brees

Drew Brees will need surgery to repair a ligament injury to the thumb in his throwing arm, but New Orleans Saints fans shouldn’t raise any panic alarms.

As concerning as it is to see that franchise quarterback Drew Brees is injured, the New Orleans Saints are one of the few teams in the league that can afford a multi-week absence to a future Hall-of-Famer at the league’s most important position.

According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Brees is currently scheduled to miss six weeks after sustaining a torn thumb ligament early in the Saints 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Brees needs surgery on the thumb, but, hopefully, he’ll be close to 100-percent when he returns some time in October or November.

The Saints are obviously not “better off” without Brees, but they have enough talent to overcome this injury over the next six weeks. And most of that cautious optimism rests on the shoulders of Teddy Bridgewater, who, despite a rough outing in Brees’s stead on Sunday, is indeed arguably the best backup quarterback in the league.

Prior to a catastrophic knee injury, Bridgewater looked like one of the league’s most promising quarterbacks. The former Minnesota Vikings starter has excellent poise in the pocket, sufficient physical tools, and deadly accuracy. Basically, he has some of the same tools Brees has, which means the Saints offense doesn’t have to be modified significantly by Sean Payton, who certainly has the magic touch when it comes to coaching high-flying scoring units.

Bridgewater struggled against the Rams, but that’s honestly understandable. He was making a spot-start against arguably the NFL’s most ingenious defensive coordinator in Wade Phillips, who has coordinated multiple teams to the Super Bowl. Including last year’s Rams, who even embarrassed the usually prolific Tom Brady on February’s grand stage.

So Bridgewater didn’t stand a chance against the Rams. His running game floundered, the pass-catchers beyond Michael Thomas struggled, and the Los Angeles secondary looked ravenous. Yet despite all this, Bridgewater didn’t throw an interception. His decision-making and ability to take care of the football could prove to be critical in Brees’s absence.

Find the positives.

Going forward, Bridgewater will be more prepared. He won’t have to face Aaron Donald, Eric Weddle, and a Phillips-coached defense over these next six weeks. Payton will have a gameplan dialed up that is even more suited to Bridgewater’s strengths (and weaknesses). And, most importantly, the supporting cast will have stronger performances.

It’s rare for Alvin Kamara, who scored 18 touchdowns last season and averaged 7.5 yards per carry in Week 1, to only muster 60 yards from scrimmage on 14 touches in a single game. He’ll have better days, and he’ll be leaned on more with Brees out. The same goes for Latavius Murray, who struggled with seven yards on five carries in Week 2 after shining in Week 1.

And, of course, the Saints have Thomas. He is arguably the league’s most efficient wide receiver and is someone Bridgewater can lean on. Bridgewater will also benefit from Jared Cook – Derek Carr’s 2018 safety blanket. Cook, of course, will have better days than 25 yards on seven targets against the Rams.

Losing Brees is the toughest blow imaginable for the Saints, as he is their biggest icon in history. But the former Super Bowl champion will be back in time for a playoff push, when the Saints need him most. Until then, the Saints have six weeks to bond together like never before, pushing past this injury to their franchise quarterback. Bridgewater will get a chance to audition as a starter (perhaps as Brees’s one-day successor), step up as a leader, and give the Saints enough wins to remain one of the NFC’s powerhouses when December rolls around.

The Saints have the personnel on offense, the coaching, the stout defense, and the ideal backup quarterback to survive for six weeks without Brees. Once No. 9 returns, there’s even a chance the Saints end up being that much better once the postseason rolls around in a season where the only expectation is a second Super Bowl victory.