REPORT: Brees has 11 total rib fractures, eyeing week 14 return

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NEW ORLEANS, La. – The New Orleans Saints placed quarterback Drew Brees on injured reserve Friday, but after getting X-rays and CAT scans, Brees received mixed news Saturday.

According to ESPN’S Ed Werder, doctors found 11 total rib fractures, more than twice the amount discovered Monday, when just five fractures were found.

Brees had X-rays, CAT scans and has been seen by doctors every other day this week. They have now confirmed eight rib fractures on his left side and three on the right. That’s more than double the total from testing performed on Monday that revealed five rib fractures.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) November 22, 2020

Brees’s IR status leaves him eligible to return in three weeks, and doctors saw positive signs from the quarterback’s recovery, especially with his collapsed lung.

In a conversation tonight with Drew Brees, the Saints quarterback said that doctors have been encouraged by his progress — specifically improvement in lung function and the continued dissipation of the pneumothorax suffered last week. They’ve also discovered 6 more rib fractures.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) November 22, 2020