New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees suffered a thumb injury during his team's Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Rams and had to undergo surgery to repair the damage.

Brees was initially expected to return after the Saints' Week 9 bye, but instead, he came back this past Sunday, leading New Orleans to a 31-6 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

On Monday, Saints head coach Sean Payton raved about Brees' performance:

“He was sharp. I thought he located the ball well,” said Payton, according to Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Advocate. “He had a good week of practice, he really threw it well in practice, and I thought in the game, the same way.”

Brees didn't skip a beat, completing 34 of his 43 passes for 373 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

Given that New Orleans had gone 5-0 without Brees, some suggested that the 40-year-old should take as much time as he needed to heal, and Payton was well aware of that, saying Brees would not have played if he didn't feel right:

“He wasn't gonna play if he wasn't 100 percent,” said Payton, per Johnson. “He knows exactly where we're at as a team.”

The Saints improved to 7-1 with the win over the Cardinals and are in a terrific position to lock down a first-round bye in the NFC playoff picture, which is something that I don't think anyone expected following their loss to the Rams last month.

Thanks to Teddy Bridgewater, New Orleans was able to keep pace, and now, the Saints will go into their bye week feeling very comfortable about their current standing.