Report: Saints QB Drew Brees has rib fractures, collapsed lung

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has some significant injuries that will cause him to miss at least a few weeks, according to ESPN’s Ed Werder.

Werder reported that Brees has several rib fractures and a collapsed lung, injuries he sustained over two different games.

Brees left Sunday’s win against the San Francisco 49ers and did not return for the second half, telling head coach Sean Payton that he wasn’t able to play.

Brees took a major hit from Niners defensive lineman Kentavius Street on a sack about halfway through the second quarter, getting slammed to the ground after bouncing off the back of one of his teammates. It was a rough hit, and Brees looked tentative after getting up. He stayed in for the remainder of the half, so we don’t know for sure if that hit caused Brees’ injuries. Jameis Winston replaced him at the start of the third quarter.

It’s unclear how much time Brees will miss. Before the evaluations, it was expected that he’d miss at least a few weeks with an undefined rib injury and a lingering issue with the shoulder of his throwing arm. But broken ribs on both sides of his chest and a collapsed lung are more serious, so the timeline for his return could be much longer than expected.

The NFL has already had one punctured lung this season: former Los Angeles Chargers starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor. One of Taylor’s lungs collapsed as the result of a pregame pain injection, which he was getting to help with a rib injury in Week 2. It took Taylor over a month to be cleared to return, and as of early November he was still dealing with rib issues.

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