METAIRIE, La. – Drew Brees returns to the starting line-up of the New Orleans Saints in time for Sunday’s game against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Saints believe Brees is completely healthy and doctors have given him permission to play, the source told Schefter.
It will be the very first meeting between the two heavyweight quarterbacks as both teams commit to the No. 1 seed in their respective conferences.
Brees, 41, returned to practice this week after missing four games due to 11 broken ribs and a punctured lung. Saints coach Sean Payton insisted that Brees should not be rushed back into the lineup and that he “should be asymptomatic, feel good, be strong and like he can function and be an asset and play well.” Apparently Brees lived up to the standard he had to achieve.
“There is an element of recovery, there is an element of power. And I know when that time will come,” Brees said in his most recent media interview with Cox Sports Television on Sunday night.
The Saints (10-3) went 3-1 in the absence of Brees with Taysom Hill as their starting quarterback. But they suffered a disappointing 24-21 defeat in Philadelphia last week, putting them in line for the number 2 seed in the NFC right now. (The 10-3 Green Bay Packers have a head-to-head tie-breaker.)
With Brees back in the starting lineup, Jameis Winston will remain the Saints No. 2 quarterback, with Hill taking on his all-rounder role, including some plays at QB, a source told Schefter.
Brees has always taken pride in trying to beat doctors’ planned timescales when it comes to recovering from injuries. But he could have even more stimulus than usual in this, his 20th season, because it might be his last.
While Brees has never announced when he plans to retire, sources have told Schefter that he expects to do so after this season. Payton has also hinted that the Saints are preparing for that possibility when talking about the team’s long-term quarterback prospects. And Brees has already lined up a post-playing career as an analyst for NBC.
Until last year, Brees had missed only one game in his entire NFL career due to an injury. But he missed five games in 2019 due to a torn ligament in his thumb and four more this year.
Brees suffered the puncture of the lung and some broken ribs in a week 10 win over the San Francisco 49ers. He played the last eight minutes of the first half – and completed two touchdown drives – before physically unable to play after half time.
Doctors believe the rest of his broken ribs happened a week earlier during the Saints’ Week 9 win in Tampa Bay.
While Brees was scrutinized at the start of this season for his lack of throws at the downfield, he and the Saints came back impressively after a 1-2 start. He ranks third in the NFL in Total QBR (80.6) with 18 TD passes, three interceptions, an industry-leading 73.5% completion rate and 2,196 passing yards.
The Saints will have two games in six days for the next week, as they will host the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Day.