Saints will start Brees
The Saints plan to start Drew Brees at quarterback Sunday against the Cardinals, ESPN reported Saturday.
The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer has been out since Sept. 15, when he suffered a torn ligament in the thumb on his passing hand as he made contact with the outstretched hand of Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald.
Brees underwent surgery on the thumb the next week in Los Angeles.
In his absence, backup Teddy Bridgewater went 6-0.
The Jets released G Kelechi Osemele a day after he had shoulder surgery without the team’s approval. Osemele’s agent, Andrew Kessler, said in a statement the Jets owe him the balance of his contract. Osemele also will be looking to recoup all money lost through fines . ... Less than six months after suffering a serious neck injury in an offseason car accident, Bucs LB Jason Pierre-Paul will return to the team’s active roster for Sunday’s road game against the Titans. Pierre-Paul, who resumed practicing last week and had his first full-squad practices this week, was cleared by team doctors and will be added to the Bucs’ 53-man roster . ... The Falcons announced that QB Matt Ryan won’t play against the Seahawks, ending his 10-year streak of consecutive starts. Ryan sprained his right ankle last week in a loss to the Rams. Veteran Matt Schaub will make his first start since 2015 with the Ravens.
Auto racing: Two-time defending race champ Max Verstappen of Red Bull ended Ferrari’s run of five consecutive pole positions by capturing the No. 1 qualifying spot at the Formula One Mexican Grand Prix in Mexico City. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel will start second and third, while two-time defending Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton will start fourth as he goes for a sixth season championship.
Golf: Tiger Woods shot a second-round 6-under 64 to take a two-stroke lead at the Zozo Championship in Inzai City, Japan. Woods reached 12-under 128 at the PGA Tour’s first tournament in Japan. U.S. Open champ Gary Woodland (66) was second, while local favorite Hideki Matsuyama (67) and Keegan Bradley (67) were third at 8 under . ... South Korea’s Somi Lee and Seung Yeon Lee shared a one-stroke lead after the third round of the Buick Ladies Championship in Busan, South Korea . ... South Africa’s Brandon Stone held a two-stroke lead after the third round of the Portugal Masters in Vilamoura.
Soccer: Christian Pulisic scored a hat trick as the American announced his arrival in the English Premier League by powering Chelsea to a 4-2 road win over Burnley. The win extended a seven-game winning run for Chelsea’s young squad and strengthened its hold on a Champions League spot in fourth. Pulisic was making his first league start since August.
Tennis: No. 1 seed Roger Federer beat No. 3 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 6-4, 6-4 to advance to Sunday’s final at the Swiss Indoors in Basel. Federer, a nine-time champ at his hometown event, will take on Aussie Alex de Minaur in the final.