Drew Brees touchdown record overshadows Saints dominance at right time
Drew Brees broke Peyton Manning’s NFL career touchdown record in Week 15 but the achievement overshadowed the Saints’ dominance at the perfect time.
To end the New Orleans Saints‘ first drive of the second quarter on Monday Night Football against the Indianapolis Colts, Drew Brees found Josh Hill in the end zone for his third passing touchdown of the game. Of course, the moment was bigger than just that as it was also Brees’ 540th of his career, pushing the quarterback ahead of Peyton Manning for the NFL record for career passing touchdowns.
Brees added his 541st on the next drive to set the record one notch further with his fourth score on Monday night. It was a wonderful moment for the future Hall-of-Famer, particularly with him accomplishing the feat in New Orleans, a city he’s meant so much to.
But what is seemingly being lost amidst the fanfare around Brees setting the career touchdown record is the fact that the record-breaking touchdown put the Saints up 27-0 while the 541st score extended the lead to 34-0 before New Orleans put on cruise control to win, 34-7. Put simply, the Saints were dominant in the wake of their quarterback’s milestone.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
Every aspect of what New Orleans did on Monday night in Week 15 was a sign of a contender starting to peak at the perfect time. Demario Davis, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and the defense were dominant in limiting Jacoby Brissett to only 165 yards on 18-of-34 passing while holding the Colts as a team to only 46 rushing yards on 17 carries.
What’s more, Brees setting the record even outshines the fact that he was near-perfect on the night when the offense was clicking at every level. The quarterback went 29-of-30 for 307 yards with four touchdowns while Michael Thomas remained unstoppable with 12 receptions for 128 yards and a score. Just as promising, Alvin Kamara showed life on Monday with 14 carries for 66 yards along with five catches for 23 yards.
As the Saints came into Monday Night Football on the heels of a shootout loss to the 49ers in Week 15, how they bounced back was relevant as the playoffs near. And while New Orleans is currently set in the No. 3 seed in the NFC with two weeks remaining, they have an identical 11-3 record to San Francisco, Seattle and Green Bay, meaning they can still make a move up the standings.
Seeing the performance they put forth against a good-not-great Colts team, however, should leave no doubt that the Saints are viable contenders. If the offense is clicking in that manner while the defense is eliminating any outlet or chance to keep up, they can beat any team in the NFC — or AFC for that matter.
As the postseason is just two weeks away (or three weeks if they can secure a first-round bye), this is the type of outing you need to see from the Saints. It was as close to pristine of a full-team effort as you’re going to see, especially against an opponent that’s far from a joke.
Next. NFL picks, score predictions for Week 16. dark
Drew Brees deserves every bit of praise for the career milestone he reached on Monday Night Football. He’s an all-timer that has put up unbelievable numbers. But don’t let that mask what the Saints are looking like right now. This is a team apparently starting to peak right before the playoffs. And with the way New Orleans can play at their peak, that makes them a dangerous Super Bowl threat.