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Although more imaging is needed, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees sustained a rib contusion against the San Francisco 49ers, according to a report from the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.

He still needs to undergo an MRI, where they'll be checking for cartilage damage, Rapoport reported — and the Saints are already preparing for Brees to miss some time with his ailment.

Brees' injury stems from a hard hit he took from 49ers defensive tackle Kentavius Street in the second quarter.

Street plowed past rookie guard Cesar Ruiz to throttle Brees for what would have been a forceful sack, but the play ultimately resulted in a roughing-the-passer penalty that gave the Saints a fresh set of downs inside the red zone.



Brees stayed in the game after the hit, but Taysom Hill took the snap at quarterback while the 41-year-old lined up out wide. Hill remained in the shotgun on the next play, while Brees went to the bench and threw passes with a staffer.

Brees ultimately missed one play in the immediacy of his hit, coming back in to hand the ball off to running back Alvin Kamara for a touchdown.

Brees came back into the game to run a two-minute drill, going 5 of 6 with a touchdown pass to Kamara before halftime.

"I actually felt terrible before the two-minute drive, but I had to find a way," Brees said Sunday.

However, when Brees came back out of intermission and was going through his warmup throws, he knew he wouldn't be able to perform effectively and handed the game to quarterback Jameis Winston.

Saints coach Sean Payton said that was "probably going to be the first time in 15 years that it was significant enough like he felt like he couldn't function in the second half."

TheOak

Contusion = Bruise

73Saint

Brees looked like he lost his first child while standing on the sidelines in the second half. It didn't even feel like a win to me, with that mash unit we had. I HATE the 49ers. Even in victory we suffer, I hope Brees isn't out for an extended period.

WW_Who_Dat

Amen my Fellow Saints Fan.

RailBoss

From Pro Football Talk:

The mystery regarding the health of Saints quarterback Drew Brees is moving closer to a resolution. Unless it isn’t.

Brees had a shoulder injury entering Sunday’s game against the 49ers. On Sunday, the team said he suffered a “ribs injury.” Brees himself called it an “accumulative thing.”

NFL Media reports Brees suffered a “rib [not ribs] contusion,” and that he’ll have an MRI to determine cartilage damage on Monday. Per the report, the team is bracing for Brees “to miss some time to fully heal.”

It could be that, like Peyton Manning in 2015, Brees has so many different issues that the best way to proceed entails Brees not playing at all.

Regardless, it currently seems that, for the second straight year, Brees will miss one or more games due to injury.

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AsylumGuido

Wow! That's really something. If Father Time is the excuse then what is the reason for several QB's in their 20's and 30's missing one or more game due to injury this season? I guess Father Time doesn't take age into consideration when he doles out injuries, huh?

RailBoss

I would say that Father Time makes it more difficult to bounce back from injuries the older a player gets. Every year we hope that Drew plays one more year but it doesn't make sense to get him killed out there either. I'm not looking forward to the day he hangs it up but getting flattened by guys like Street might weigh on his mind.

Audiotom

Drew went years with the Saints with only one missed game

Rugby Saint II

Several people have been calling for Winston to play more....well, you got your wish. I just hope it turns out the way you envisioned it.

AsylumGuido

He did come back from that UCL injury last year as quickly as any other younger player ever had. I seriously doubt that this hit is "weighing on his mind" at all. He has played the game long enough that he knows it is just part of the game. As he restressed a couple of weeks ago the only things he considers after a season is 1) does he still enjoy the game, 2) does he still play at a high level, and 3) is he healthy enough to continue. He sounded as though the answer to all three were still yes during that interview.

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill