Injury was added to insult for the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon.
The Saints failed to exact revenge on the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2, as they fell to the reigning NFC champions 27-9 at L.A. Memorial Coliseum. But more troubling for New Orleans was it lost its star quarterback early in the highly anticipated clash, and the team might be forced to make do without him for some time.
Drew Brees was forced to exit the game late in the first quarter after injuring his thumb. He jammed his hand into Aaron Donald’s on a pass attempt, which hampered the 40-year-old QB’s ability to grip the football. Brees was replaced by Teddy Bridgewater, who completed 17 of 30 pass attempts for 165 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
Brees sported a wrap on his hand after the game and reportedly stayed in L.A. in order to visit with a hand specialist Monday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The 12-time Pro Bowl selection was candid about his thoughts on the injury, noting he’s “concerned” and fears it could be significant, per ESPN’s Josina Anderson.
The Saints do have an above-average insurance policy on Brees, who only has missed one game in his career to injury. Bridgewater, who New Orleans dealt a third-round pick for in the summer of 2018, is the league’s highest-paid backup QB and has starting experience. The Saints also feature a Swiss Army knife in Taysom Hill, but the ultra-versatile quarterback only has thrown seven passes in his career.
Unfortunately for New Orleans, its upcoming schedule is a doozy. The Saints will visit the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3 before hosting the Dallas Cowboys at the quarter mark of the regular season.
