The post-Drew Brees era got off to a flying start in a Week 1 blowout, but the offense collapsed to the Earth just 7 days later against the Carolina.
So what did the legendary Saints QB, now turned Sunday Night Football analyst, see on a day his former team logged the fewest yards in Sean Payton's coaching era? Nothing, really. That was the issue.
"They couldn't get anything going," Brees said simply. "They couldn't sustain any drives. They couldn't complete any balls. They couldn't run the football."
It was a sharp pivot from his Week 1 analysis, which included a light-hearted moment when analyzing Jameis Winston's deep-ball touchdown to Deonte Harris by saying that's "what's been missing" from the Saints. Brees' lack of deep shots was a major point of criticism in the later years of his career.
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Brees’s comments on today’s Saints loss pic.twitter.com/ECE7zk59r6
— Tweets About The Saints (@BourbonAndBeer) September 19, 2021
But shot plays never even entered the equation at Bank of America Stadium. The protection didn't allow for it, and it was only a matter of time before a gutty but understaffed defense ran out of steam.
The Panthers' defense deserves credit, too, Brees continued. It's a group that he defeated twice in the 2020 season under new head coach Matt Rhule, but one that looks much more comfortable this time around. Brees referred to the scheme as a "college defense," but one that's difficult to plan for.
"It was hard to game plan for. It was really hard to adjust to at times," Brees said. "But it's obvious that they're very comfortable running this scheme now, and it showed."
