Drew Brees so far hasn't played at the level that has made him one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, starting the 2020 season off with a lower completion percentage and yards per attempt compared to previous years. The results have shown in the New Orleans Saints offense, which though two weeks has put up just 341.5 yards per game (21st in NFL) -- one year after averaging 373.8 (ninth in the league).
At the epicenter of New Orleans' offensive struggles is Brees, but the 41-year-old quarterback refuses to admit he's on the decline.
"Well, my job is to execute the offense ... my job's not to have the most air yards or throw the ball down the field most or anything like that," Brees said after the Saints fell to the Las Vegas Raiders Monday night, via ESPN's Mike Triplett. "I think I've always evaluated myself on being a great decision-maker. And so, at the end of the day, I'll throw the ball to the open guy, move the ball down the field, score points, help us win football games.
"So that's my job. My job's to help us win. My job's to help put everyone around me in the best position to succeed."
The 64.7% completion rate is the lowest for Brees in a season since 2012, this coming after Brees finished with back-to-back seasons completing over 74% of his passes, which are the two most accurate seasons in NFL history. After leading the NFL in completion rate for three consecutive years, Brees is just 21st in the league in 2020. His 6.9 yards per attempt is also 21st, this coming one year finishing 10th at 7.9.
The Saints didn't have Michael Thomas in Monday's loss to the Raiders in Las Vegas, a big loss for New Orleans' offense considering last year he set the single-season record for catches with 149. Thomas has been Brees' security blanket for the past several season, but Brees isn't using his absence as an excuse for an offense that is 14th in passing yards and 25th in rushing yards after two games.
"Are we totally in sync right now? No, we're not," Brees said. "We're not even close to where we are capable of. Not even close."
