Drew Brees dismisses concerns about decline after loss to Raiders

Is Drew Brees on the decline? It's a question that some are asking after the Saints' loss to the Las Vegas Raiders Monday night, as the 41-year-old was only able to get New Orleans into the end zone once in the second half. However, Brees dismissed any suggestion that his best days are behind him, saying that his job is to put the team in a position to win, not air it out 60 times a game.

"Well, my job is to execute the offense," Brees told reporters. "... My job's not to have the most air yards or throw the ball down the field most or anything like that."

While Brees has not been his most dominant self two games into the 2020 season, it's worth noting that he still managed to throw for over 300 yards Monday night without Michael Thomas, his best receiver by far. However, critics have noted that Brees has struggled with deep throws over the last couple of years and that it looks like those struggles have only increased with time.

Ultimately, if you are an elite quarterback like Brees, you get the majority of the credit when your team is winning and the majority of the blame if your team is losing. And even with the loss, Brees does not sound worried about his team, as the Saints remain in first place in the NFC South due to their head-to-head win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"I think I've always evaluated myself on being a great decision-maker," Brees said. "And so, at the end of the day, I'll throw the ball to the open guy, move the ball down the field, score points, help us win football games. So that's my job."