Saints QB Drew Brees Has ‘Every Intention’ To Play Against Panthers

USA Today

The New Orleans Saints have gotten off to a rough start to the 2015 NFL season. Drew Brees and company have lost the first two games of the season against the Arizona Cardinals and division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

As if the consecutive losses weren’t bad enough for the Saints, Brees suffered a shoulder injury against the Bucs leaving doubt about his status heading into Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers. Although many anticipated Brees to miss considerable time, the veteran quarterback has no intention to sit out.

According to James Varney of USA Today, Brees intends on playing in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers despite the shoulder injury:

“I have every intention of playing, but I do have to be smart,” Brees said.

“I’m not used to this, I don’t like it, but the idea is to make progress every day. Each day you wake up and see what you can do, but you don’t want to aggravate it.”

With perennial Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham now with the Seattle Seahawks, Brees’ best offensive weapon is gone and the Saints are clearly struggling as a result. Brees, as well as the rest of the franchise, knows how important Week 3 will be in the team’s quest to remain competitive within the NFC South division.

The Panthers are coming off consecutive wins against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans. Although neither team is expected to be much of a force in the AFC this season, the two wins were crucial for Carolina with the team now in two-way tie with the Atlanta Falcons.

With the Falcons and Panthers sitting atop the division, the Saints are already under fire as they try to keep up after losing two straight. A win over Carolina would be a step in the right direction while keeping them in the hunt for the division title this season.

As of right now, the Panthers are the favorites to win a third straight game on Sunday. The Saints are currently +6.5 underdogs, according to Sportsbook.ag. Brees’ injury definitely leaves a lot of uncertainty moving forward with New Orleans potentially having to lean on backup Luke McCown if the veteran quarterback can’t play through the shoulder ailment.