Saints' Drew Brees Thinks He Can 'Beat' Timetable for Return Following Surgery

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees believes he can return to action more quickly than anticipated after injuring his right thumb against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2.

In an interview with former Saints signal-caller Bobby Hebert on WWL Radio, Brees suggested Wednesday night that he is aiming to get back on the field prior to the minimum timetable of six weeks that has been presented thus far: "As far as the timetable for getting back, though, they say six to eight weeks. I think I can beat that, but I'm just gonna take it one week at a time and see how things go."

With Teddy Bridgewater starting in place of the injured Brees, the Saints beat the Seattle Seahawks 33-27 on the road in Week 3 to improve to 2-1.

Brees also discussed the specifics regarding his injury, including the fact that surgeons put "a little piece of tape" on top of the ligament repair to aid in his recovery:

"It's something that immediately gives it strength and stability. And allows you to start rehab right away. You don't have to be immobilized. You don't have to be in a cast for a couple of weeks. You can start that rehab process right away, and it just fast tracks the whole thing. It gives you that strength and stability while the ligament actually heals."

The 40-year-old Brees has missed just four games in the past 15 seasons, and most of them were because of rest. He went 13-2 as the starter last season and was in the MVP conversation until Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes ran away with it.

Brees set a single-season NFL record by completing 74.4 percent of his passes and finished with 3,992 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and just five interceptions. In parts of two games this season, he completed 72.9 percent of his attempts for 408 yards, two touchdowns and two picks.

In Bridgewater, the Saints have a quality backup with a fair amount of starting experience, dating back to his time with the Minnesota Vikings. The New Orleans offense was far more conservative with him in the lineup in Week 3, though, and head coach Sean Payton had to rely more heavily on running back Alvin Kamara and his defense.

New Orleans has a tough home game against the undefeated Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, but three of its next four games after that are against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Arizona Cardinals.

If the Saints can keep their heads above water during that fairly easy stretch, they have a good chance to remain in playoff contention while Brees recovers.