It’s safe to say that Drew Brees hasn’t missed a step after not playing in the previous two preseason games. The 40-year-old quarterback made his preseason debut on Saturday, starting things off with an efficient opening drive to help the New Orleans Saints take down the New York Jets by the score of 28-13.
How It Happened:
The Saints opened up Saturday night’s matchup with an eight-play drive that was capped off by an absolute dime from Brees to Michael Thomas to get them on the board. The defense set up the Saints with stellar field position when Ty Montgomery fumbled the ball at the Jets 31-yard-line. Wil Lutz then nailed a 39-yard field goal to make it a 10-0 ballgame.
The Jets finally got on the board in the second quarter with a seven-play drive that ended with a short touchdown pass from Sam Darnold to Montgomery. The Saints made it a six-point game towards the end of the first half with a 40-yard field goal from Lutz and were able to head into the locker room with the lead.
The Jets responded to the start the second half with a pair long field goals from Taylor Bertolet to tie things up. New Orleans had their third made field goal of the game late in the third quarter to take back control, but it was a 78-yard punt return from Deonte Harris that sealed the victory for the Saints.
Big Number: 31
The dirty laundry was all over the place on Saturday night with 31 total penalties being handed out by the officiating crew. In a third preseason game, seeing something like that from the two teams has to be frustrating for both head coaches to see.
Player of the Game: Teddy Bridgewater
After a strong opening drive from Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater kept the ball rolling and looked much better after his much-maligned performance against the Los Angeles Chargers, going 15-of-26 for 143 yards and most importantly no interceptions.
Next Up: Thursday vs Miami; Kickoff at 7 PM