Report: Brees expected to miss 6 weeks with thumb injury

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is expected to undergo thumb surgery and will likely miss about six weeks of action, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The ailment is a torn ligament in Brees' throwing thumb, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The 40-year-old suffered the injury in the first half of the Saints' 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2 when his hand smacked against defensive tackle Aaron Donald while following through on a throw.

"He's had one opinion; he's getting a second opinion," Saints head coach Sean Payton said Monday afternoon.

Teddy Bridgewater completed 17 of 30 passes for 165 yards after coming in for Brees against the Rams. He'll now get a chance to prove his worth to the Saints, who are paying him $7.25 million this year, more than any other backup signal-caller in football.

Bridgewater was a first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2014 and made the Pro Bowl in 2015 after throwing 14 touchdowns with an 88.7 passer rating. However, he suffered a serious knee injury in August 2016 and has made just one start since that time.

The Saints will play three of their next five games against 2018 playoff teams, so Bridgewater will be put to the test right away. The 26-year-old will have big shoes to fill, as Brees was the runner-up in the NFL MVP race last season and fell just short of leading New Orleans to the Super Bowl following a blown pass interference call against the Rams.

Brees, who was drafted in 2001, has missed just one previous game due to injury since high school, according to Schefter. The quarterback was ruled out of a 2015 matchup against the Carolina Panthers.