It was not Drew Brees’ game-deciding interception that had him heated after the Saints’ loss Thursday night to the Falcons.

“Do you understand what guys’ bodies go through in a game?” Brees told the The Times-Picayune after New Orleans’ 20-17 defeat.

“And then to have to turn around four days later and to play? … Is this smart as it pertains to guys’ health and safety? No, absolutely not.”

The Saints had five players leave the game and not return. The biggest loss was dual-threat running back Alvin Kamara, who was lost to a concussion in the first quarter. The offense also lost left guard Senio Kelemete, who was filling in for starter Andrus Peat, to a concussion.

Three starters on defense — linebacker A.J. Klein (groin), right end Trey Hendrickson (ankle) and strong safety Kenny Vaccaro (groin) — left the game in severe pain.

On the last drive, running back Mark Ingram, receiver Michael Thomas and receiver Ted Ginn Jr. each absorbed hard hits. Ingram and Thomas came back in.

“When you see guys go down, when you lose guys for what you think is unnecessary just because you put them at a much higher risk in such a quick turnaround, that gets you upset,” Brees said.

The veteran is not alone. The frustration with the league prioritizing TV cash over players’ health has been a familiar refrain this season as players continue to suffer significant injuries during the Thursday night games.

Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin, after Richard Sherman was lost to a torn ACL, said: “This [expletive] should be illegal, It is not OK. It’s not OK. You can quote me on that.”

Bills lineman Richie Incognito: “These Thursday night games — they suck. They throw a wrench in our schedule. It’s absolutely ridiculous that we have to do this. As physical as this game is, as much work and preparation that goes into this, to force us to play games in four-day weeks is completely unfair. And it’s [expletive].”

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger: “It’s miserable, it’s terrible. They need to get rid of this game I think. Just play on Mondays and Sundays. It’s so tough on the guys. You’re beat up, you’re banged up. It’s a very violent, physical game we play. You’ve got to let your body recover a little bit. Even a week, you’re still not fully recovered by Sunday to Sunday, you’re still dealing with bumps and bruises and things just continue to build up throughout the season. When you go on such a short week, man, it’s just not good. I don’t know many players that like it.”

NBC and CBS paid $450 million each in the last Thursday Night Football deal that covered two years and ends after this season. Commissioner Roger Goodell turning the NFL’s popularity into massive television deals is the reason why most owners insisted on him getting a new contract, which was signed this week and pays him $40 million per season.

It remains to be seen how seriously he takes the players’ growing concern over the mid-week games.

With AP