Drew Brees may miss time with Saints due to rib injury
By John Buhler
Drew Brees may have to miss a few games due to a rib injury suffered in Week 10.
The New Orleans Saints are preparing to have to play games without quarterback Drew Brees.
The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report Brees suffered a rib contusion on a hit from San Francisco 49ers defensive end Kentavius Street. In what looked to be a clean sack of the quarterback, Street has flagged on an incredibly weak roughing the passer call. Brees looked banged up after the play, giving way to his backup Jameis Winston in the second half.
#Saints QB Drew Brees suffered a rib contusion in yesterday’s game, and he’ll have an MRI for cartilage damage today. But sources tell me and @TomPelissero that New Orleans is bracing for Brees to miss some time to fully heal.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 16, 2020
How long can the Saints tread water with Drew Brees under center?
Through nine games this year, the Saints are 7-2. This includes a sweep of the biggest threat in the division in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The good news for the Saints is they went 5-0 with Teddy Bridgewater filling in for Brees last year after he broke his thumb. They would have to hand the keys over to the former Buccaneers starter Winston with Taysom Hill backing him up.
Every remaining game on the Saints’ schedule is a winnable one, including getting the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at home on Dec. 20. The problem is Winston has a proclivity to turn the football over. Therefore, no game is a guaranteed victory with him out there starting place of Brees. Next up for the Saints will be the arch rival Atlanta Falcons in Week 11.
Atlanta has won three of its last four games since firing former head coach Dan Quinn. The Saints and the Falcons split their season series a year ago with the road team winning both contests. New Orleans gets the Dirty Birds again in two weeks with a reeling Denver Broncos team sandwiched in between. After that, it is the lowly Philadelphia Eagles, followed up by the Chiefs.
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In short, the Saints are in good shape to still win the NFC South for the fourth year in a row. Having the head-to-head tiebreaker over Tampa Bay is a big feather in their cap. However, hovering around .500 the rest of the way if Brees were to miss significant time may not be enough to keep the Buccaneers at bay. We need to monitor Brees’ status closely throughout the week and next.
The Saints are a playoff team without Brees, but him missing time hurts their Super Bowl chances.