Drew Brees has further solidified his legacy as one of the most prolific passers in NFL history. During the Saints 34-7 win on "Monday Night Football" over the visiting Colts, the 20-year veteran broke Peyton Manning's record for career touchdown passes during the third quarter with a five-yard strike to tight end Josh Hill to give the Saints a 27-0 lead over the Colts.
He tied the mark in the second quarter on 21-yard score to Tre'Quan Smith.
Brees, who needed three touchdowns entering the game to pass Manning, now has 541 career touchdown passes (he hit Taysom Hill for a score in the third quarter, marking his 21st straight completion in the game) and counting, passing Manning's 539.
Brees finished Monday night's game 29 of 30 for 307 yards and four touchdowns. He also set another NFL record by completing 96.7% of his passes.
Tom Brady, also a 20-year veteran, is third all-time with 538 touchdown passes. Brees, Brady and Manning are also top-three all-time in career passing yards, with Brees passing Manning's career mark during the 2018 season. Brady reacted after Brees set the mark.
Week 15 is in the books and there's a lot to go over, including a record-breaking night for Drew Brees. Fortunately Will Brinson, John Breech, Ryan Wilson and Sean Wagner-McGough are here to break everything down on the Pick Six Podcast. Listen below and be sure to subscribe right here for daily NFL goodness fired into your eardrums.
The 32nd overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, the 40-year-old Brees and an 11-time Pro Bowler and 2006 All-Pro. In 2009, Brees led the NFL in completion percentage and touchdown passes while leading New Orleans to its first Super Bowl. Against Manning's Colts in Super Bowl XLIV, Brees won MVP honors after going 32 of 39 for 288 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions.
A future Hall of Famer, Brees has led the NFL in completion percentage six times that includes each of the past three years (including this season). He has also led the NFL in passing yards seven times and touchdown passes on four different occasions. Brees also has five of the top-10 most prolific passing seasons in NFL history. His 5,476 passing yards in 2011 was the single-season record before Manning topped it by a yard in 2013.
After not starting a single game as a rookie, Brees has compiled a 160-111 regular season record as an NFL starting quarterback. He owns an 8-7 record in the playoffs while completing 66.3 percent of his passes in postseason play.
Brees, who is under the final year of his contract, has not publicly stated whether or not this will be his final NFL season. It's reasonable to think that Brees may consider retirement if he is able to win his second Super Bowl at season's end, making him only the 13th starting quarterback in NFL history to win multiple Super Bowl titles.