Saints' Drew Brees Says He's Not 100 Percent Healthy After Rib, Lung Injuries

Maybe Drew Brees will be healthy for a potential Super Bowl rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs.

"No, but I'm on my way," the New Orleans Saints quarterback told reporters when asked if he is 100 percent healthy following Sunday's 32-29 loss to the Chiefs. It was his first game since Nov. 15 as he returned from 11 broken ribs and a punctured lung.

"I'll be honest. I think there's some things that I'm still kind of working on," he said. "But it is what it is."

Brees was far from his typically dominant self and finished 15-of-34 passing for 234 yards, although he did have three touchdowns to one interception.

Still, the Saints went just 1-of-11 on third downs, which is a formula for defeat against Patrick Mahomes and the high-powered Chiefs offense. Part of that was on Brees, but part of it was also on a depleted wide receiver group that was missing Michael Thomas and Deonte Harris even before Tre'Quan Smith exited with an ankle injury.

New Orleans is now 10-4 following a second straight loss and facing an uphill battle for the NFC's No. 1 seed with the Green Bay Packers sitting at 11-3 with the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Getting everyone healthy before the playoffs is the more important task at this point, and Brees may be able to shake off some of the rust and find his footing in the final two regular-season games against the 6-8 Minnesota Vikings and 4-10 Carolina Panthers.

He appeared to do just that for stretches as Sunday's game unfolded when he found Latavius Murray, Alvin Kamara and Lil'Jordan Humphrey with touchdown passes in the second half even though the Chiefs had more firepower.

It was a welcome sign following a slow start and perhaps an indication that Brees will return to form as he settles back in and puts his injuries further in the rearview mirror.