NFL Injury News: When will Drew Brees return?

Last season, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees missed five games with a thumb injury.

For a Saints team that was considered a Super Bowl contender, the injury was initially viewed as a disaster. While Brees would return in plenty of time to guide the Saints in the playoffs, the prospect of losing several games without their star QB and falling out of playoff contention was a real fear around the NOLA.

But the Saints were just fine without Drew Brees. Backup QB Teddy Bridgewater led the team to a 5-0 record without Brees, who did come back in time for the playoffs -- however, New Orleans lost in the wild-card round to the Minnesota Vikings.

This season, Brees suffered a much more serious-sounding injury when he suffered fractured ribs and a collapsed lung during the Saints' Week 10 game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Due to the severity of the injury and the fact that it happened later in the season than the thumb injury, there was more concern in New Orleans.

Again, however, the Saints (9-2) appear to be fine without Drew Brees on the field. Backup QB Taysom Hill, while an entirely different kind of QB -- Hill is closer to Cam Newton than Drew Brees -- has been successful. The Saints are 2-0 in Hill's two starts, and currently on an eight-game win streak dating back to when Brees was in the lineup.

Drew Brees' injury timeline remains uncertain

When will Drew Brees return?

Officially, no one around the Saints knows the answer. Or at least they're not telling anyone in the media.

"I feel better than I did last week," Brees told NOLA.com going into the Week 13 game against the Atlanta Falcons. "I feel better every day, gradually ramping things up with what I'm able to do, understanding that there's just a healing process that has to take place, but man, I'm pushing it. I'm trying to be back as fast as I can."

In the meantime, the Saints are still winning thanks to Hill, offensive playmakers like running back Alvin Kamara and wide receiver Michael Thomas, and their top-ranked defense. New Orleans has held three of their last four opponents to single-digit scoring, including the Falcons two weeks ago in a 24-9 victory.