While it would help the Saints’ Super Bowl, I hope Drew Brees were able to take on the Chiefs on Sunday, it is starting to look like that will be a distance.
The future Hall of Fame passer has no timetable for the return, and ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter notes that the Saints want their starter to have a full range of motion before returning. Brees would not have been able to play against the Eagles and is expected to be “at best” doubtful against the Chiefs. Brees’ last throwing session didn’t go particularly well, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). He will try to throw again on Wednesday.
This comes days after Schefter reported that Brees was making good progress and a good bet to return for the Chiefs game. The Saints hope Brees will have limited practice this week, adds NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (video link). New Orleans still has a de facto three-game lead in NFC South, thanks to the Tampa Bay sweep, and has games against Minnesota and Carolina on tap to close the regular season.
Brees had numerous cracked ribs and a lung leak last month, and the Saints have used it Taysom Hill as their starter in the past four games. However, New Orleans’ loss to Philadelphia gave Green Bay the inside of the NFC. No team has qualified for a Super Bowl without a bye since 2012, and the Saints have only won one road playoff game in franchise history. However, due to the new playoff format, more teams are looking to advance to Super Bowls sans byes in the coming years, and a trip to Green Bay this season wouldn’t be so daunting for playoff teams – due to COVID-19’s attendance restrictions. The Saints are one game higher than the Rams and Seahawks for the NFC’s No. 2 seed.
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