Drew Brees will face Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round of the NFL play-offs after the New Orleans Saints beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
Veteran quarterback Brees threw two touchdown passes as the Saints eased to a 21-9 win on day two of the super wildcard weekend to secure a home game against the Bucs next Sunday.
The Cleveland Browns will visit defending champions the Kansas City Chiefs after upsetting the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the Baltimore Ravens won against Tennessee to secure a trip to the Buffalo Bills.
Brees, who turns 42 on Friday, and six-time Super Bowl winner Brady, 43, are sure to be future Hall of Famers as they are the NFL’s all-time top two for career passing yards and touchdown passes.
The pair have already faced each other twice this season as Brady left the New England Patriots in the off-season for New Orleans’ divisional rivals Tampa Bay.
The Saints won each game before finishing the regular season with a 12-4 record to win the NFC South ahead of the Bucs (11-5). Brees has a 5-2 head-to-head record against Brady before they meet for possibly the last time next week.
“It’s going to be a heck of a game, I know that,” said Brees, who has one Super Bowl win. “They’re a great football team, they’re playing very well right now.
“I think we know what type of game that’s going to be. They’re divisional opponents so we’ve played them twice this year, but I’d say they’re a different team right now – and so are we.”
The Saints welcomed back their top two offensive weapons against Chicago, wide receiver Michael Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara, and each had a touchdown while Brees passed for 265 yards.