Drew Brees, the New Orleans Saints longtime quarterback, will be examined by a hand specialist in Los Angeles after suffering an injury during an earlier game against the Rams.
Brees, 40, was seen after the game with a wrap on his throwing hand that some theorized could mean a ligament injury. Brees told reporters after the game that he was hoping that “it’s not too significant.”
Brees was injured after he hit his throwing hand on Rams All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald with 6:48 remaining in the first quarter.
To many fans, seeing Brees on the sidelines was an unfamiliar sight. ESPN reported that he only missed one start since high school.
Brees said he had X-rays at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, but did not want to say anything until after meeting with the hand specialist, which was expected to happen Sunday night. New Orleans is staying on the West Coast with a game at Seattle next Sunday.
Brees was in the shotgun on third-and-8 from the Saints 46 when Donald beat Saints left guard Andrus Peat and got pressure up the middle. Brees’ hand hit Donald on an incomplete throw to tight end Jared Cook.
“I felt it right away. You might get jammed thumbs or fingers, different things where it swells up. This felt like it was more significant and prevented me from gripping the ball,” said Brees, who was 5 of 8 for 38 yards and an interception.
The Saints lost the game 27-9.
The Associated Press contributed to this report