The New Orleans Saints emerged with a 27-13 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, but it appears to have come at quite a cost. Saints star QB Drew Brees was forced to sit out the entire second half of the contest with a rib injury, and new reports are now stating that the 41-year-old is set to miss some time.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com provided a preemptive report on Brees’ injury:
#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
Tom Pelissero added that aside from the rib injury, the veteran is also dealing with a shoulder issue:
Brees also has been dealing with an injury to his throwing shoulder that has limited his practice time in recent weeks. He’s beat up and may need some time to heal up for the stretch run. But today’s tests will tell more. https://t.co/AWbaEJALQF
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 16, 2020
As the report above stated, it appears that a bit of time off is what Brees’ body requires right now. Neither the rib or the shoulder injury appears to be serious, but at this point in his career, even the slightest tweaks require more healing time for Drew Brees. As such, New Orleans is likely going to have their star QB sit out a week or two to rest and recuperate. The good news here is that the 13-time Pro-Bowler’s injuries appear to be minor.
On Sunday, Drew Brees completed 8-of-13 passes for a 76-yard gain and a touchdown. It wasn’t like he was killing it for the Saints against the Niners, and the fact that he was forced to miss the entire second half only compounded his forgettable evening.
Saints backup quarterback Jameis Winston could now be in line for a couple of spot starts. This could come as early as this coming Sunday, when the 7-2 Saints take on the Atlanta Falcons.