Drew Brees hit back at suggestions he is in decline after a disappointing showing in the Saints' 34-24 loss to the Raiders.
The 41-year-old quarterback is in his 20th season in the NFL but he failed to shine at Allegiant Stadium on Monday, finishing with 312 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 26 of 38 completed passes.
It has played into an emerging narrative that Brees – the NFL's all-time leader in passing yardage, completions and touchdown passes – is losing his touch, but he rejected that notion and cited a wider malaise in the team.
"Well, my job is to execute the offense," he said, having seen opposite number Derek Carr chalk up three TDs. "My job's not to have the most air yards or throw the ball down the field most or anything like that.
"I think I've always evaluated myself on being a great decision-maker. 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.
"My job's to help us win. My job's to help put everyone around me in the best position to succeed."
Final from Vegas. pic.twitter.com/yEg44xR94L
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) September 22, 2020
The interception Brees threw came at a pivotal moment, with the Raiders capitalizing to score a field goal that leveled the scores just before half-time.
Still, it was a generally lackluster display from the Saints, with Brees suggesting they have some way to go to find their top level.
"Are we totally in sync right now? No, we're not. We're not even close to where we are capable of. Not even close," said Brees. "We did some good things early on, but it just wasn't enough for the few opportunities that we had. Again, I think we just need to be more efficient.
"We called a shot play or two today and just got the wrong coverage on both of them. So what could've been big-play opportunities, what could've been throws down the field unfortunately had to be checked down.
"But I think both of those [resulted in completions for about 10 yards]. At the end of the day, our job is to move the ball and score points, however we have to do that."