Top 25 Saints of 2020: No. 2, Drew Brees

It may or may not be the last year for Drew Brees, but he should have a season to remember with the Saints regardless.

The New Orleans Saints are considered one of the favorites to contend for a Super Bowl this season, but naturally there's a whole football season to be played before we can get to that point. The team kicks off their quest for a Lombardi Trophy on Sunday when they host Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and the anticipation is at its peak. The game will get top billing as FOX's Game of the Week in the afternoon, but unfortunately no fans will be present to see Brady taking on Drew Brees.

Speaking of Brees, he's the main focus of today's Top 25 countdown segment, and you'll undoubtedly know who gets our top spot on the list. Before we dive in on No. 9, here's where we've been thus far.

The Countdown

• No. 25, Latavius Murray | No. 24, Taysom Hill | No. 23, C.J. Gardner-Johnson
• No. 22, Malcom Brown | No. 21, Marcus Williams | No. 20, Deonte Harris
• No. 19, Andrus Peat | No. 18, Cesar Ruiz | No. 17, Janoris Jenkins
• No. 16, Thomas Morstead | No. 15, Wil Lutz | No. 14, Marcus Davenport
• No. 13, Erik McCoy | No. 12, David Onyemata | No. 11, Malcolm Jenkins
• No. 10, Emmanuel Sanders | No. 9, Jared Cook | No. 8, Marshon Lattimore
• No. 7, Terron Armstead | No. 6, Ryan Ramczyk | No. 5, Demario Davis
• No. 4, Cam Jordan | No. 3, Alvin Kamara

No. 2 - Drew Brees

2019 was a weird season for Drew Brees, to say the least. No one would have predicted the Saints star quarterback to be lost for several games after a fluke thumb injury suffered against the Rams in Week 2, but it happened. Brees missed five games in 2019 after just missing three in his entire career with the Saints. However, Teddy Bridgewater stepped in and performed admirably, leading the Saints to a 5-0 record with him at the helm. 

Despite all of the craziness, Brees finished as Pro Football Focus' No. 2 overall quarterback with a 90.8 grade. He looked great in his Week 8 return against the Cardinals at home, and was strong throughout Thanksgiving while leading the Saints offense. In Week 13 against the 49ers, that's when Brees caught fire for the rest of the year, where he'd account for 16 total touchdowns (15 passing, one rushing) in the team's final four regular season games. 

In that final four-game stretch, Brees would set an NFL single game record for completion percentage against the Colts, going 28-of-29 (96.7 percent). Brees also broke Peyton Manning's record for most career passing touchdowns, throwing No. 540 to tight end Josh Hill. Brees closed out the season with a 74.34 completion percentage, which was second in league history to himself from the 2018 season. He made the Pro Bowl, which posting 2,979 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and four interception in 11 games played.

Drew Brees had to wait until after halftime, but the record-breaker was still a give-you-chills moment.

The trivia answer is Josh Hill, 5 yards in the left corner of the end zone against the Colts. #Saints

PASSING TD RECORD
1. BREES: 540
2. Peyton Manning: 539
3. Tom Brady: 538 pic.twitter.com/Q69XVksMGI

— Jeff Nowak (@Jeff_Nowak) December 17, 2019

Brees' Outlook in 2020

Drew Brees and the Saints offense has been spectacular for quite some time, and this year has something special to it. The team finally has a legitimate No. 2 wide receiving threat opposite of Michael Thomas in Emmanuel Sanders, something that has been somewhat missed since Thomas was a rookie pairing opposite of Brandin Cooks. Jared Cook started slow last season, but really came on in the second half of the year, and looks to be an even bigger nightmare for opposing defenses. New Orleans is also banking on big things from third-year wideout Tre'Quan Smith, and we haven't even discussed what added value players like Taysom Hill, Latavius Murray, Ty Montgomery, Josh Hill, and rookie Adam Trautman could bring to the table.

Brees' arm strength, which is something he has been under a microscope over the years, looks strong entering this season. Sean Payton and Brees enter what is perhaps their most important season, as it could be the last ride for the 41-year-old veteran. The Saints would love nothing more than to send him riding off into the sunset a winner, and no matter how things go, it should be a season to remember for Brees and company.