NEW ORLEANS — Drew Brees found his rhythm a little too late in his return Sunday from 11 broken ribs and a punctured lung.
Brees started 0-for-6 passing with an interception in the New Orleans Saints‘ 32-29 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. It was the first time in Brees’ 20-year career that he started a game 0-for-5 or worse, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information research.
Brees rallied back with some big-time throws, including a 51-yard deep ball to Emmanuel Sanders, an impressive escape from pressure for a 24-yard touchdown pass to Latavius Murray and fourth-quarter TD passes to Alvin Kamara and Lil’Jordan Humphrey.
But he was ultimately too sporadic — and the Saints too depleted at wide receiver as they lost their second straight game and fell to 10-4 on the season.
Brees — who missed the previous four games because of his injuries — finished 15-of-34 passing for 234 yards, falling short in the marquee quarterback matchup against Patrick Mahomes. His completion percentage of 44.4% was the third-lowest of his career. The Saints also finished 1-of-11 on third downs.
It didn’t help that the Saints are so depleted at wide receiver. Michael Thomas and Deonte Harris were placed on injured reserve Saturday, and Tre’Quan Smith left Sunday’s game early with an ankle injury.
The Saints’ defense put up a valiant effort against Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense but ultimately ran out of gas, with Kansas City running 92 offensive plays and possessing the ball for 41 minutes, 14 seconds.
Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan was also ejected late in the game for connecting with a punch against Chiefs offensive tackle Andrew Wylie.
Replays showed Wylie clutching Jordan’s jersey by the collar and not letting go. Jordan tried to shove him away before throwing the punch; he tried explaining that to officials to no avail.
Mahomes finished 26-of-47 passing (55.3%) for 254 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. But he did lose a fumble on a fourth-quarter sack. The Saints also scored a safety by forcing a fumble on a punt return just before halftime.
The Saints will need to bounce back quickly on a short week; they host the Minnesota Vikings in just five days, on Christmas Day.