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How Good Have the Saints and Drew Brees Been on Monday Night Football?
Drew Brees is most certainly a first-ballot Hall of Fame candidate when he decides to hang it up, and last week's performance against the 49ers was yet another reason why he'll be forever remembered. Brees went 29-of-40 for 349 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also added a rushing touchdown en route to the 46-point offensive explosion. However, the Saints lost, but they remain in great shape for the NFC Playoffs and turn to a Monday Night Football meeting with the Indianapolis Colts.
There's really no other way to put it, but Drew Brees and the Saints have been magical on the Monday Night stage. With the Saints, Brees is 15-7 and 15-9 in his career (0-2 with the Chargers) on ESPN. New Orleans is 10-5 (.667) in this decade (2010-present) in their appearances, and are tied for the third-most wins with the Steelers, Eagles, and Seahawks. Currently, the Bears are on top with 17 appearances and 12 wins, and the Giants are right behind with 16 total appearances. For perspective, the Saints were just 8-10 (.444) on Monday Night Football from 1990-2009.
The last appearance on the big Monday night big stage came in Week 1 against the Houston Texans, a game in which the Saints surrendered the lead late after going up 27-21 with less than a minute to go, but was able to come back on the game's final possession to set up a long Wil Lutz field goal attempt for the 30-28 win. Arguably, it might have been the craziest Monday Night Football finish for the Saints under Payton.
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Historically, the Saints are 10-5 at home and 5-2 on the road on Monday Night Football in the Sean Payton Era. New Orleans has won their past three matchups appearing on ESPN's historic program after having a three-game skid from 2015-2017 (losses to Detroit, Atlanta, Minnesota). The team started 2-2 under Sean Payton, which kicked off with the 'Return to the Dome' game against the Falcons that started 'Rebirth'. After the controversial loss to the Minnesota Vikings on 10/6/08, the Saints rattled off nine straight wins on Monday Night Football. In that streak, they outscored their opponents 326-179.
In his 24 career appearances on Monday Night Football, Drew Brees is 631-of-906 (69.7 completion percentage) for 7,249 passing yards with 52 touchdowns and 19 interceptions (103.9 rating). With the Saints, Brees is 592-of-841 (70.3 completion percentage) for 6,840 passing yards with 51 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. In his past 12 appearances on Monday Night Football, Brees has 4,194 pass yards (349.5 per game) and a 39-6 TD/INT ratio for a 124.8 rating.
Drew Brees: Career Bests with Saints on MNF
- Most Completions: 36 (9/26/16 vs. Atlanta)
- Most Passing Attempts: 54 (9/26/16 vs. Atlanta)
- Best Completion Percentage: 89.7 (10/8/18 vs. Washington)
- Most Yards: 420 (11/24/14 vs. Baltimore)
- Most Touchdown Passes: 5 (11/30/09 vs. New England)
- Best Passer Rating: 158.3 (11/30/09 vs. New England)
- 400-Yard Passing Games: 2 (9/30/13 vs. Miami, 11/24/14 vs. Baltimore)
- 300-Yard Passing Games: 13
The Saints have eclipsed 30 points or better in 11 of their 24 appearances with Drew Brees, and are 10-1 when they get to that mark. They'll certainly have some major momentum on their side entering this game, as the 2009 Super Bowl team will be hosted for the weekend and be introduced during halftime. Needless to say, there should be a lot of magic in the air in the Superdome.
