Drew Brees trotted along the sideline holding his helmet and a Hall of Fame-bound ball in his left hand, while using his right to wave and blow kisses to an adoring Superdome crowd.
Another milestone, another memory, for an undersized and once underestimated player who has broken just about every significant record a quarterback can break — and does not look anywhere near done at 40.
Brees on Monday became the NFL’s all-time leader in touchdown (TD) passes, throwing for four scores to lead the New Orleans Saints to a 34-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Photo: Chuck Cook-USA Today
“It was special, everything about the night,” Brees said. “It just kind of makes your whole life and career flash before your eyes, because I never thought I’d have a chance to be part of something like this.”
The scoring strike that broke Peyton Manning’s record of 539 career touchdown passes came in the third quarter, when Brees hit tight end Josh Hill for a five-yard score.
Brees’ next pass was the 541st scoring toss of his career, a 28-yarder to reserve quarterback and utility player Taysom Hill that put the Saints up 34-0.
“He has done that to a lot of defenses,” Colts coach Frank Reich said. “When he gets like that, I don’t know that anybody can stop him.”
Now in his 19th season, Brees — a 2001 second-round draft choice — went into the game already holding NFL records for completions with 6,792 and yards passing with 72,577.
He built on those numbers, while also setting a record for completion percentage in a game.
He completed 29 of 30 passes — 96.7 percent — for 307 yards before being relieved by Teddy Bridgewater in the fourth quarter. That broke the mark Philip Rivers had held since completing 28 of 29 (96.6 percent) against Arizona last season.
“He had a hot hand, obviously,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “Guys were making plays, but that’s awfully difficult to do.”
The victory kept the Saints (11-3), who had already won the National Football Conference (NFC) South, in the running with Seattle (11-3), San Francisco (11-3) and Green Bay (11-3) for one of the top two seeds in the NFC playoffs.
“There’s a lot at stake right now relative to these games when you look at the top of the NFC,” Payton said. “It’s about winning and winning and winning, and trying to give yourself the best chance in the post-season.”
The Colts (6-8) were eliminated from playoff contention after losing their fourth straight and sixth out of seven.
They were also left struggled to explain their lack of competitiveness in a game they needed to win.
“I wish I knew all the answers,” Colts linebacker Darius Leonard said. “I hate losing more than I love winning.”
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