While the Saints go marchin’, they’ll have to do it without Drew Brees.

Fans of the Saints and Brees received some pretty brutal news after Week 10, per ESPN’s Ed Werder: Brees has fractured ribs on both sides of his chest and a collapsed lung to go along with it, sidelining the passer for the foreseeable future.

Source: Results of medical evaluations performed today on #Saints quarterback Drew Brees revealed that he has multiple rib fractures on both sides of his chest and a collapsed lung on the right side. Injuries suffered over two weeks. It is uncertain how much time he might miss.

Drew Brees suffered two fractured ribs Sunday against the 49ers and three others on the right side the previous week against the Bucs that were not seen on X-ray until today. Brees has been advised to be cautious with the collapsed lung.

While neither Werder nor the Saints issued an immediate timeline for Brees’ return, the veteran QB definitely won’t take the field for this Sunday’s matchup vs. the Falcons in New Orleans. In fact, the Saints placed Brees on Injured Reserve, officially sidelining him for at least three games.

The news couldn’t come at a worse time for New Orleans: The Saints (7-2) are currently locked in a division battle in the NFC South, leading the Buccaneers (7-3) by percentage points with seven games left to play. Without Brees, the Saints turned to Taysom Hill, not Jameis Winston, surprising many.

While Sean Payton and the Saints have fared well without Brees as recently as 2019 — the Saints went 5-0 with Teddy Bridgewater as starter in 2019 — there’s no certainty that Hill (or Winston) can replicate that success. The Saints do have a favorable schedule the rest of the season, with games against the Eagles, Falcons and Broncos remaining.

Here’s what you need to know about Brees’ injury, timeline and more:

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How long is Drew Brees out?

While the reported injury sounds dire for Brees and the Saints, it may not sideline him for too, too long.

With Brees placed on IR, he’ll be out for at least the next three games while he recovers from a myriad of rib fractures. ESPN’s Ed Werder reported that Brees has up to as many of 11 rib fractures revealed after further testing.

With the NFL’s tweaked IR policy dictating players miss a minimum of three weeks, it seems like the Saints might not be expecting Brees to be out for the remainder of the year with the injury. He’ll be out for at minimum three weeks.

Source on Brees says the most optimistic recovery time would be 2-3 weeks. Emphasis on “optimistic.” Will depend on healing time, which varies by patient, and when they’re convinced he can take a hit without risk of serious re-injury. There is hope he’s back in time for playoffs.

Per the University of Michigan health library, a fractured or cracked rib can take up to six weeks to heal. A collapsed lung can take up to two weeks to fully heal, with some feeling relief within a few days. Speculatively, it looks like Brees could miss a few weeks at minimum, but there is no current timetable for his return to the field.

MORE: Should Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill start at QB for Saints?

Drew Brees injury timeline

Week 9 (Nov. 8): Brees incurs an injury during the 38-3 rout of the Buccaneers on “Sunday Night Football.” While Brees receives X-rays for his injury, the scans don’t show any injury.

Week 10 (Nov. 15): Brees is seen wearing a flak jacket prior to Sunday’s matchup vs. the 49ers, causing speculation that the Saints QB entered the game a bit banged up.

In the second quarter, Brees is sacked by Kentavius Street and struggles to get up. He would finish out the first half, bu he’s replaced in the second half by Jameis Winston, who helped secure the Saints 27-13 victory over San Francisco.

Makes no sense.pic.twitter.com/xLT5vIeBQf

Nov. 16: A CT scan reveals that Brees is dealing with as many as five cracked ribs and a collapsed lung, per ESPN’s Ed Werder. Saints coach Sean Payton would not commit to placing Brees on IR at the moment.

Nov. 21: ESPN’s Ed Werder reports that Brees suffered as many as 11 rib fractures, revealed after further testing, up from the five initially reported.

Nov. 21: The Saints officially place Brees on IR, sitting him down for at least three games.