The New Orleans Saints might be playing their Week 3 road game against the Carolina Panthers without quarterback Drew Brees who is confirmed to have a bruised rotator cuff.
Brees' magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed the injury and according to ESPN, a second opinion by orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews confirmed it.
Andrews said Brees' most recent MRI is the same the quarterback had last year when he also suffered a shoulder injury but continued playing.
Brees' status for Sunday is still uncertain and will be determined by the progress he will be making this week while rehabbing the shoulder.
Since the 36-year-old did not suffer a major injury, the Saints are hoping he will be playing against the Panthers this Sunday.
New Orleans badly needs Brees since the team is having a bad start in the 2015 season going 0–2 following losses to the Arizona Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It may be noted that the nine-time Pro Bowler has not missed a game due to injury since 2006, after Andrews performed a major reconstructive shoulder surgery on him in the offseason before he joined the Saints, ESPN also reported.
In two games played this season, Brees completed 54 of 86 passes for 610 yards and two touchdowns.
Saints head coach Sean Payton already expressed positivity regarding his main quarterback's injury, believing that it will not be long-term.
Brees has had a history of playing through injuries and the Saints are looking forward to him pulling that off this Sunday.
If the one-time Super Bowl winner would really be unable to play, New Orleans will rely on veteran backup Luke McCown.
The Saints are up for a stiff test against the Panthers who remain unbeaten this season following wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans.
Sunday's game will be the second time in three games the Saints will be playing on the road, while for the Panthers, it will be the second game of a back-to-back home stand.
