Saints quarterback Drew Brees played through more than just his broken ribs and collapsed lung in 2020 — as if that wasn’t a difficult enough feat on its own.
Brees’ wife, Brittany Brees, posted on Instagram Wednesday that the longtime New Orleans quarterback also played through a torn rotator cuff and torn fascia in his foot. Here’s her post (via Colin Dunlap, host of Pittsburgh radio show The Fan):
Drew Brees’ wife says Drew played this season with: A torn rotator cuff, a torn fascia in his foot, 11 broken ribs and a collapsed lung.
Ben Roethlisberger calls this “Sunday” pic.twitter.com/nrWnFVodLu— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) January 20, 2021
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If Brittany Brees’ post is to be believed — there’s no reason to think she would fabricate any of the info mentioned — then it makes Brees’ 20th and presumed final season even more impressive. He missed five games this season after suffering a collapsed lung and multiple broken ribs on both sides of his rib cage in a 38-3 rout of the Buccaneers in Week 9; he attempted to play the following week but was replaced in the second half by Jameis Winston.
In total, he went 9-3 in 12 games started.
Brees completed 275 of 390 passes (70.5 percent) for 2,942 yards and 24 touchdowns and six touchdowns in 2020 — not quite the numbers he put up in previous seasons. After his return from injury, he completed 103 of 165 passes (62.4 percent) for 1,145 yards and nine touchdowns to six interceptions. That includes a three-interception game against the Bucs in the NFC divisional round, presumably the final game of his career.
That game isn’t enough to tarnish what has been a Hall of Fame career, however. That he could play through so many injuries — reported or otherwise — only adds a superhero mystique to it.