Drew Brees is starting to look his age. Is it time for the Saints to move on?

I’m not ready to throw in the towel on New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees but I have it close by.

Just in case.

And I say this because for the second time in three games, dating back to last season’s wildcard loss in OT against the Minnesota Vikings at the Mercedez-Benz Superdome, a quarterback other than Brees appeared to give the Saints a better chance to win.

That quarterback is Taysom Hill, also known as the Swiss army knife, also known as Mr. Impact, also known as the heir apparent to No. 9.

Hill should have been given more snaps at quarterback against the Vikings and he should have been given more snaps at quarterback in Monday night’s disappointing loss at Las Vegas when Brees failed to rally the troops after falling behind 31-17.

Some might have wanted to see backup-in-name-only Jameis Winston. Not me.

The Saints (1-1) eventually succumbed to the Raiders, 34-24, increasing the early season urgency to beat the Green Bay Packers (2-0) on Sunday night at the Superdome (7:20 p.m., NBC).

I want to be perfectly clear: I’m not saying Brees is washed up, over the hill, or incapable of playing winning football at the age of 41-plus.

But I am beginning to wonder if he gives the Saints the best chance to win, week in and week out in the NFL. I am wondering, too, if the Saints are merely delaying the inevitable.

I am saying that if the Saints offense struggles to score points as it did against the Raiders and Vikings for lengthy periods of time, then why not insert Hill under center? Where’s the harm?

Brees is a big boy. He understands the situation.

Take Monday night’s game at $1.9 billion Alllegiant Stadium on the Vegas strip. Hill touched the ball twice in the first quarter, then curiously went missing on offense. Hill’s absence was conspicuous, especially knowing Coach Sean Payton’s penchant for scoring points. Heck, Payton had Hill throw a halfback pass in the waning minutes of a 34-23 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1.

National pundits have begun debating whether Brees is on his last leg, in part, perhaps, because this likely will be his last dance before moving into the broadcast booth for NBC next football season. He’s deftly danced around the topic, neither denying nor confirming whether this will be his last season.

Payton let the cat out of the bag in the offseason, then quickly recanted and tried to laugh it off.

Look, in a perfect Who Dat World, Brees would lead the Saints to a second Super Bowl victory then happily move on to the next exciting chapter of his life.

But we are not living in a perfect world.

We weren’t before the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, the divisive politics, civil unrest and a flailing economy, and we certainly aren’t now.

As expected, Brees remains positive. He is the ultimate optimist and football warrior. He cites the absence of injured wide receiver Mike Thomas against the Raiders and explains that the Saints offense merely is out of sync. Furthermore, he feels “borderline great.’‘

I saw something differently. He looked rusty against the Buccaneers and he looked his age against the Raiders.

If the offense continues to struggle with No. 9 under center, in a season that clearly has been defined as “Super Bowl or Bust’‘ by players, coaches and management, then a change at quarterback needs to be made.

We aren’t there yet.

But I have my towel within reach.

Brian Allee-Walsh, a longtime Saints reporter based in New Orleans, can be reached at sports@sunherald.com.