Opening up to Today, the quarterback shared that the weeks since the Jan. 20 game have "been difficult, it was a heartbreaking loss. Obviously, we all had the expectation we would be here and obviously had worked so hard for it"
New Orleans Saints star Drew Brees still hasn’t recovered from his team’s shocking NFC Championship loss to the Los Angeles Rams, whose victory secured them a spot in this Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Opening up to Today, the quarterback, 40, shared that the weeks since the Jan. 20 game have “been difficult, it was a heartbreaking loss. Obviously, we all had the expectation we would be here and obviously had worked so hard for it.”
“You have to worry about the things that you can control, and that’s something we don’t control. We would’ve liked for that call to have been made but it wasn’t,” he continued referring to the refs failing to call pass interference or helmet penalties on a Rams cornerback who leveled a Saints receiver during the game, Reuters reported.
“As we think about and look forward to next season, I love our team and the opportunity that we have,” he added. “I think we have the best fans in the country in all of sports, and their passion and emotion was certainly felt after that game, [and] over the last week and a half.
The athlete went on to conclude, “At the end of the day, we are such a tight-knit family … and there are lots of good times ahead for us.”
Then, Today anchor Hoda Kotb, an avid Saints fan, shared her own emotion over the loss and asked Brees a challenging question. Did NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell do enough when it was clear the refs had made a mistake?
“I think it would’ve been nice had he come out on Monday or Tuesday after the game and addressed it immediately,” Brees answered. “I think he basically waited until he absolutely had to, which was at his annual Super Bowl press conference.”
Then, a smiling Brees quipped, “I don’t think he really said much during most of that press conference, but again, at the end of the day, for us as players, we can really only worry about the things we can control.”
He added, “You understand that officials have a very tough job, and there’s a lot of calls that are made and not made throughout the course of a game. It’s just tough when something that meaningful happens at the end of the NFC Championship game that arguably would’ve sent us to the Super Bowl … Unfortunately, we’re not here.”
The Rams defeated the Saints at the New Orleans’ Mercedes-Benz Superdome 26-23 in the overtime thriller, while the Patriots bested the Chiefs — also in overtime — 37-31 at the Arrowhead Stadium.
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The teams will play in the Super Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the home of the Atlanta Falcons. It is an indoor venue with a retractable roof that will prevent weather from playing a factor in the game.
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Super Bowl 53 will be aired February 3 at 6:30 p.m. ET. on CBS.