New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees isn’t regressing. Of course, he’s getting older — everyone does. But he didn’t look like a player being held back by age on Monday night. He picked apart the Houston Texans defense while complete 32-of-43 passes for 370 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the Saints’ 30-28 win. He found eight different receivers (including utility man Taysom Hill), and took just one sack.
After Brees had a rough finish to the 2018 season, there was some question as to whether the Saints quarterback was in decline. In his final four appearances in the regular season, Brees averaged 214 yards, .75 touchdowns and .75 interceptions. That came after he had 285 yards per game, 2.6 touchdowns and .2 interceptions in the first 11 games. In the playoffs, Brees picked up his statistical pace, averaging 275 yards per game, two touchdowns and an interception. But as ESPN’s Bill Barnwell notes, those stats ignore his 6.2 yards per attempt against the Rams and an interception on the first possession of overtime. He didn’t seem quite right.
That wasn’t the case on Monday night in the Saints’ season-opener against the Texans as he made his 49th game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime.
It was the most exciting game on the Week 1 slate: a tightly contested matchup. Despite a pesky Texans team, Brees persisted, and finished off Houston with a last-minute drive by moving the Saints 35 yards in 37 seconds for a game-winning 58-yard field goal from kicker Will Lutz. It took a little help from the Texans, who ran an absolute horrid version of the prevent defense. But Brees was throwing the ball well, seeing the field well and playing at an elite level. The 40-year-old is back to playing like a 30-year-old. Somehow, Brees and Tom Brady are making 40 look good.
