New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees could return by Week 8 vs. Cardinals
New Orleans Saints’ future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees will apparently be back sooner rather than later after an early-season thumb injury left him needing surgery.
There’s no denying that the New Orleans Saints miss Drew Brees. Their long-time quarterback’s absence has had a notable impact on the offense. However, the Teddy Bridgewater-led team has yet to figuratively fumble the ball.
The Saints are 4-0 with Bridgewater at the helm. While that may help the team later decide who they want to succeed Brees, it’s more importantly kept them afloat in his absence. But, good news is on the horizon.
According to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, Brees may return for the team’s Week 8 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals. It’d be idiotic to rush the 40-year-old Brees back, so it’s assumed that he’ll only play if he’s at 100%, especially given the team’s lead in the NFC South.
After Brees’ Week 2 injury, the thought was that he’d return after the team’s Week 9 bye. But, there’s hope he can return sooner so fans can be optimistic about his return in the not-all-too-distant future.
5-1, New Orleans still has five divisional games left. While those won’t be easy victories, they should be able to run through their division. Bridgewater led the team to a 31-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their lone divisional outing.
With seven touchdowns and two interceptions, one of which wasn’t necessarily his fault, Bridgewater has kept New Orleans as a consensus top-three team in the league. He’s also neared 1,000 yards in the four games combined.
That said, this success without Brees can be directly attributed to a few things. For starters, the team has had an elite defense, having yet to give up over 30 points in a game this season. Secondly, they have an above-average offensive line and elite, versatile offensive threats.
Next. Dez Bryant is the only high-profile target left. dark
While the weapons are limited, they go far beyond just a quarterback. That’s how you compose a championship team, and those near the bottom of the league should take note of how New Orleans has risen to and stayed at the top.