NEW ORLEAN – Drew Brees found his rhythm a little too late when he returned Sunday from 11 broken ribs and punctured lungs.
Brees started going 0-for-6 with an interface in the 32-29 loss of the New Orleans Saints to the Kansas City Chiefs. This was the first time in Brees ’20-year career that he started a 0-for-5 game or worse, according to a study by ESPN Stats & Information research.
Brees bounced back with some long-range throws, including a 51-yard deep ball to Emmanuel Sanders, an impressive escape from pressure for a 24-yard pass to Latavius Murray and fourth-quarter passes by TD going to Alvin Kamara and Lil’Jordan Humphrey.
But it was ultimately too sporadic – and the Saints were overwhelmed at a wide receiver as they lost their second straight game and fell to 10-4 on the season.
Brees – who has lost the previous four games due to his injury – finished 15-of-34 passing for 234 yards, falling short in the pavilion’s quarterback matchup against Patrick Mahomes. His completion percentage of 44.4% was the third lowest level of his career. The Saints also finished 1-of-11 on the third run.
It didn’t help that the Saints are so big on widespread disposal. Michael Thomas and Deonte Harris were placed on injury reserve Saturday, while Tre’Quan Smith left the game early Sunday with an ankle injury.
The Saints defense put up a strong effort against the offense of Mahomes and the Chiefs but eventually ran out of gas, with Kansas City running 92 offensive plays and owning the ball for 41 minutes, 14 seconds.
The Saints Jordan defensive end Jordan was also sent off late in the game for tying with a punch against offensive Chiefs Andrew Wylie.
Wylie’s replacements showed Jordan’s jumper clinging to the collar and not letting go. Jordan tried to send him away before throwing the punch; he tried to explain that to useless officers.
Mahomes finished 26-of-47 passing (55.3%) for 254 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. But he missed a fumble on a fourth-quarter bag. The Saints also gained safety by forcing a fumble on a pound return just before halftime.
The Saints need to kick back quickly on a short week; they host the Minnesota Vikings in just five days, on Christmas Day.