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METAIRIE, La. -- After being eliminated from the playoff race and having star quarterback Drew Brees go down with a Grade 2 tear of the plantar fascia in their last outing, the New Orleans Saints could have mailed in Sunday's matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The key words in that first paragraph are "could have."
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The Saints (6-9) weren't about to do that, especially when Brees, the unquestioned leader of the team for a decade, did everything he could to be on the field for the second to last game of the season.
After missing his first game as a member of the Saints in Week 3, when he was out with a bruised rotator cuff, Brees showed why he's endeared himself to his teammates and fans of the franchise when he played through the pain Sunday.
Even more impressive is that Brees did this amid reports this will be his final year in New Orleans, making that his final home game with the Saints, regardless of his high tolerance to pain.
His contact, meaning his cap numbers, may preclude his return in 2016.
The Saints finish the season Sunday at Atlanta.
Also out may be coach Sean Payton, whose name is being dropped literally coast-to-coast as a potential head coach elsewhere in 2016 -- from Miami to San Diego.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, with pain shooting through his foot every time he dropped back, Brees completed 25-of-36 passes in piling up 412 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-27 win over Jacksonville (5-10).
"The reason why he's so good, the reason all of us are where we are is because we fought through different things to get where we are," veteran tight end Ben Watson said. "For him to come out as the leader of this team, it does a lot for everybody to see him out there gutting it out."
That's exactly what Brees did in orchestrating the win, driving his team to touchdowns on its first three possessions of the game and adding a field goal two drives later for a 24-0 second-quarter lead.
Just 3 1/2 days after leaving the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in a walking boot, Brees returned to practice on Friday and convinced Payton that he could play, and, more importantly, be effective in doing so.
"You're so focused on the game anyway -- locked in, laser focus," Brees said. "Once you get between the lines, you flip the switch, and it's all about competing at a high level."
That he did.
Despite the gutsy win, the Saints and their fans may still feel more pain.
The NFL Network reported Sunday that Brees will have to take a "hometown discount" to remain with the team after the current season.
Brees has one year remaining on the five-year, $100 million contract he signed prior to the start of the 2012 season. The Saints' cap hit for Brees would be about $30 million.
The NFL Network report said the cap hit might be unwieldy for the Saints and could prompt them to try and restructure Brees' deal to extend it beyond the 2016 season.
"I'm told he has to take a hometown discount to return," an NFL Network reporter wrote.
Also, Payton's name has been mentioned in several reports over the last couple of months as perhaps being on the radar of several teams -- most notably the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts.
Rapoport on Sunday added the San Diego Chargers to the list of possible landing spots for Payton, who has two years remaining on his contract, if he were to break ties with the Saints.
"Asked people close to Sean Payton if #Saints coach will move on," Rapoport tweeted. "Never say never. Execs believe he's searching for a landing spot in case."
Payton, who recently built a new home in New Orleans, has repeatedly said he sees himself coaching the Saints beyond this season.
REPORT CARD VS. JAGUARS
PASSING OFFENSE: A. The plantar fascia tear suffered six days earlier by Drew Brees was hardly a hindrance in Sunday's game with the Jaguars. Brees showed few effects from the injury and shredded the Jaguars in going 25-of-36 for 412 yards and three touchdowns. Brees got the Saints off to a tremendous start with touchdowns on their first two series -- a 17-yard pass to Michael Hoomanawanui and a 71-yard strike to Brandin Cooks. Brees, who was sacked once, wasn't intercepted and compiled a 135.4 passer rating. Cooks caught five passes for 123 yards and the touchdown, while Willie Snead caught four balls for 75 yards with a long of 36. Running back Travaris Cadet had a 44-yard scoring reception among his three catches for 69 yards. All told, the Saints had six passes of 20 yards or more.
RUSHING OFFENSE: B. The Saints had a nice day running the ball even though they're down to their fourth and fifth backs, netting 135 yards and a 3.9 average on 35 carries. It was the third-highest rushing total of the season for the Saints, who were averaging only 92.1 yards per game going into the contest. Veteran Tim Hightower had another big day as he finished with 122 yards on 27 carries, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, with touchdowns of one and five yards. Hightower had a long run of 26 yards, Travaris Cadet added six yards on one carry and Brandin Cooks had 10 yards on four attempts.
PASS DEFENSE: C. Even though the Saints won, they were still a little shaky at times against Blake Bortles. He was 27-of-35 for 368 yards with four touchdowns. He also had a passer rating of 124.5 against one of the NFL's worst pass defenses, but was intercepted twice by cornerback Delvin Breaux and defensive end Bobby Richardson. The Saints also sacked Bortles twice. But he did have some time to throw the ball, connecting with Allen Robinson six times for 151 yards with a 90-yard touchdown over cornerback Brandon Browner. Allen Hurns caught eight passes for 106 yards with touchdowns of six and 20 yards, and Marqise Lee added a two-yard touchdown catch.
RUN DEFENSE: D. The Saints didn't have to contend with the Jaguars running game much after Brees and the offense provided them with a 24-0 lead in the second quarter. That Jaguars, who had 46 yards on only eight carries in the first half finished with 65 yards and a 4.3 average on 15 carries. Jonas Gray led the way with 31 yards on only five carries and a long run of 23 yards while filling in for an injured T.J. Yeldon. Dennard Robinson added 20 yards on six carries.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C. Thomas Morstead punted twice for a 49.5 gross average with a net of 37.5 yards and a long of 52. Kai Forbath kicked a 37-yard field goal, but was wide left with a 52-yard try and also had a 28-yard attempt blocked. The Saints had no return game to speak of, with one punt return for one yard and one kickoff return for 19 yards. They allowed one punt return for four yards, but the Jaguars averages 32.5 yards on two kickoff returns with a long of 36 yards by Nick Marshall.
COACHING: A. With his team out of the playoff picture and all kinds of reports circulating about his future, not to mention a hobbled quarterback in Drew Brees, Sean Payton had his team ready to play against an improved Jaguars team when some teams might have packed it in. He called a solid game, mixing the run with the pass to make sure Brees would be able to do whatever he needed to while playing through a painful foot injury.
