New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will undergo surgery to repair the ligament in his right thumb and could miss six weeks, NFL Network reported Monday.
Teddy Bridgewater will step into the starting role this weekend at Seattle.
Brees said Sunday night he was seeing a hand specialist in Los Angeles after getting knocked out of the team’s loss to the Rams in the first quarter with the injury.
“Yeah, I am concerned,” said Brees, who wore a brace on the thumb postgame. “I’m hoping it’s not too significant.”
Brees said he had X-rays but at the time claimed not to know if it was a bone or ligament issue.
“I’m hoping for the best and just preparing for whatever the next steps might be,” he said.
Brees hit his right hand on Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald’s right hand while following through on an incomplete pass to Jared Cook on third-and-8 midway through the quarter. He was seen struggling to pick up a ball, and then had the thumb taped.
“Right away, when he attempted to throw, he was having pain with it. It wasn’t anything elaborate,” coach Sean Payton said in his postgame press conference. “We’ll give you an update when the time comes right.”
Bridgewater entered with 3:29 remaining in the first quarter. He went 17 of 30 for 165 yards as the Saints fell 27-9.
Bridgewater, 26, has started 29 regular-season NFL games, including all 16 in 2015 when he made the Pro Bowl and guided the Minnesota Vikings to an 11-5 record.
Brees opened the game 3 of 5 for 38 yards and an interception before leaving. He came out of the locker room after halftime with the tape off of his hand and with a helmet on, but did not enter and then was re-taped.
The 40-year-old has missed just one game due to injury since joining the Saints in 2006, which came in 2015 due to a shoulder issue. He has missed just two other contests of a possible 210 with the Saints, both while resting in Week 17 with the team’s playoff position secure.
The league’s all-time leading passer needs 155 yards to become the first in NFL history to pass for 75,000 yards.
–Field Level Media
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