NFL New Orleans Saints

What’s Wrong With Drew Brees After New Orleans Saints’ Latest Loss?

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By @AnthonyIrwinNBA

Drew Brees

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

It used to be that the New Orleans Saints, with Drew Brees at the helm, in the Super Dome, were unbeatable. In consecutive weeks, the San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals have spoken to the contrary.

If Brees is going to get the majority of the praise when they win (his nickname in New Orleans is Breesus Christ, after all), he deserves an equal share of the criticism when they lose.

Last week, Brees threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns – good enough to please his fantasy owners. His two interceptions and essentially game-losing fumble in overtime gave San Francisco the opportunity needed to win in NoLa.

On Sunday, the stats weren’t there (33/41 for only 255 yards and one score) as the Saints got blown out by a Bengals team that has underperformed for much of this season. Andy Dalton looked like the lone competent quarterback on the field and A.J. Green returned to form. The Saints fell to 4-6 on the year, yet are still tied with the Atlanta Falcons, who lead the division thanks to head-to-head records.

Sidenote: wow, that division stinks.

I wrote a few weeks ago that the team chemistry seemed off, thanks to some ugly contract negotiations between the team and tight end Jimmy Graham. That continues to hold true. Graham caught three passes for 29 yards on only three targets. Look, football, like most sports, is pretty straightforward. You won’t do well when the most talented offensive weapon is only involved in three of the 41 passes thrown.

New Orleans’ playoff chances are still alive, but only because of how brutally terrible their division continues to be. They’ll still look back on these two weeks if they make the second season and play on the road, where their efforts consistently come up short. If Brees continues to play like this, it’s hard to imagine they’ll seriously figure into anything more than a push for the playoffs.

Once the postseason starts, my money is on whoever gets matched up against ‘dem Saints.

Anthony F. Irwin is an NBA, NFL, MLB and NCAA Football contributor for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. Send him an email at .

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