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New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees suddenly feels Brett Favre’s pain

By Erik Lambert

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 20: Ndamukong Suh #93 of the Los Angeles Rams sacks Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 20, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 20: Ndamukong Suh #93 of the Los Angeles Rams sacks Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 20, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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The NFL is a crazy league. Especially when it comes to history repeating itself. The New Orleans Saints found that out the hard way.

Their fans have loved talking about the 2009 NFC championship for years. Two great teams slugging it out in the Superdome. A young Drew Brees against a 40-year old Brett Favre battling into overtime. Favre then making the last big mistake of his career by throwing an interception to Tracy Porter that set up a Saints field goal to win the game and advance to the Super Bowl.

Now here it is nine years later and the roles are suddenly reversed. Two great teams battling in the Superdome. A 40-year old Brees going toe-to-toe with young Jared Goff. This time though, in a cruel twist of irony, it was the Saints who felt the horrific sting when their hero threw an interception that Los Angeles used to turn into a game-winning field goal in overtime.

If that is the last pass Brees throws of his career, it is rather horribly fitting given that one of his greatest moments as a professional athlete came almost a decade prior at the expense of somebody who was in the exact same position.

Saints now wait to see what Brees will do moving forward

Nobody wants to admit what took place in the game, but it looked like Brees was missing something in that game. A lot of his throws were off target, especially when thrown deep. This problem had been creeping up for weeks and it finally came back to haunt New Orleans. Brees is a competitor but there is no telling where his head is at after this. It’s the sort of brutal loss that a man never gets over and could compel him to retire.

Most would probably agree that was his last, best chance to get back to the Super Bowl. Will that itch return to give it one more try or does this defeat compel him that it’s probably best to think about the next phase of his life? Much of that will depend on what happens over the coming weeks. There isn’t much for him to accomplish. He holds the NFL all-time passing record. He has a ring and he’ll be in the Hall of Fame five years after he walks away.

It comes down to whether he feels his body can go through that grind again.

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