Saints quarterback Drew Brees will miss at least six weeks with a torn ligament in his thumb.
The injury came when Brees hit his hand on Rams’ defensive lineman Aaron Donald’s hand while throwing in the first quarter of Sunday’s game. He left the game directly after and would not return, spending the rest of the game in full pads on the sideline.
Former Louisville Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater came on in relief of Brees, passing for 165 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. The Saints would lose the 2018 NFC Championship rematch 27-9.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, New Orleans has the option to place Brees on injured reserve while he has and recovers from surgery. However, this puts his earliest return at Week 10. If the Saints decide not to move him to IR, he will still occupy a roster spot, but have the option to bring him back sooner than Week 10 if he is ready.
They cannot move him to IR and take him off when he is ready for a full return, as the NFL requires a player to remain on IR for a minimum of six weeks after being moved.
If the Saints decide to put Drew Brees on IR for the thumb surgery that is required, he would be unable to practice for six weeks and would to miss eight games. Saints also could not place him on IR and bring him back when ready.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 16, 2019
This is a huge blow to the Saints’ Super Bowl hopes, as, with Brees, they were favored to make a deep playoff run in 2019-2020. Their Bye week is Week 9.
As reported, Brees will definitely miss games against Seattle, Dallas, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Chicago and Arizona. If he goes to IR he could also potentially miss another divisional matchup against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 10.
Moving forward, it seems as if Bridgewater will take the reins on offense. Their next game is Sunday, September 22 in Seattle. New Orleans is currently 1-1, and 1-0 in the NFC South
Featured Image courtesy of Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
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