AGELESS BREES NEARLY PERFECT
Saints QB unlikely to surrender NFL mark for throwing touchdowns anytime soon
Breaking the record for most touchdowns thrown in NFL history was the second-most impressive thing Drew Brees did on Monday night.
With that one, it was only a matter of time.
But to connect on 29 of 30 passes for a new single-game league record 96.6 completion percentage? At the age of 40? That’s just nuts.
It was the 26th time in his 273-game career that Brees — who also had 307 passing yards and four TD passes in the 34-7 slaughter of the Indianapolis Colts — completed at least 80 per cent of his throws in one game, but never before had he surpassed the 90 per cent mark.
His previous best was in Week 5 of the 2018 season, when he was good on 26 of 29 (89.66 per cent) passes in a 43-19 win over the Washington Redskins, while his next previous best was in Week 7 of the 2011 season, when he connected on 31 of 35 (88.57 per cent) in a 62-7 victory over the Colts.
His most recent display of precision passing at least temporarily put Brees No. 1 on the all-time completion percentage list at 67.58. Next in that line is Kirk Cousins at 67 per cent.
On Monday, he spread the ball to nine different receivers. While Michael Thomas was once again his favourite with 12 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown, his only errant throw was to Latavius Murray, a short screen that, while unsettled, Brees overshot his target.
“I’ll be honest with you, you always think about the one that you missed,” Brees said later on ESPN. “If I just set my darn feet and throw it to the running back, it’s 30 for 30. So that one may haunt me for a little while.”
Saint coach Sean Payton didn’t remember the incompletion until it was brought to his attention.
“He’ll get a minus on that play,” Payton said with a laugh.
The relationship between coach and quarterback was evident on the sidelines, when Payton and Brees shared a big ol’ hug late in the game. How Brees is viewed by his teammates was also evident, as it looked like every one of them found him for a congratulatory embrace.
Brees, who has now thrown 541 touchdown passes to move ahead of Peyton Manning ’s previous standard of 539, will probably hold on to the record for a while. Suddenly looking more like his age, Tom Brady has 538, but whether it’s him or the lack of weapons he’s surrounded by or a combination of both, the Patriots’ offence isn’t clicking.
With all due respect to the San Francisco 49ers, the Saints are the best team in the NFC and could very well win their second Super Bowl title this year.
And Brees is playing like he has a lot left in the tank.
ON SECOND THOUGHT
Limited to nine games because of a thumb injury, Brees has a Td-to-interception ratio of 21:4. That puts him in the company of Aaron Rodgers (24:2), Lamar Jackson (33:6), Russell Wilson (28:5), Patrick Mahomes (23:4) and Kirk Cousins (25:5). And please, don’t say I didn’t put them in proper order. My math is weak … According to the Sporting News, 10 players have a higher average annual salary than Brees in 2019. They are: Wilson (US$35 million), Ben Roethlisberger
($34 million), Jared Goff ($33.5 million), Rodgers ($33.5 million), Carson Wentz ($32 million),
Matt Ryan ($30 million), Cousins ($28 million), Jimmy Garoppolo ($27.5 million), Matthew Stafford ($25 million) and Derek Carr ($25 million). Carr is listed ahead of Brees because he has a higher guaranteed amount ($40 million) than Brees ($25 million) … Thomas, who made a ridiculous one-handed catch while under triple coverage, is now 10 receptions shy of Marvin Harrison’s single season record of 143. Oh, and while we’re at it, Thomas’ salary this season is $20 million.
BETWEEN THE LINES
For some reason, Lions owner Martha Ford has decided that head coach Matt Patricia and GM Bob Quinn will be back in 2020. Detroit is 9-20-1 under Patricia, who insists the foundation is in place for the team to be competitive … Facing a crucial meeting with the New York Jets, the Steelers have confirmed they will give Devlin (Duck) Hodges his fourth consecutive start rather than turn the reins over to Mason Rudolph. Hodges threw four picks and one touchdown pass against Buffalo on Sunday. Shows you what they think of Rudolph … With Josh Gordon suspended indefinitely for violating the NFL policies on performance-enhancing substances and substances of abuse, there’s talk the Seahawks are revisiting the idea of signing Antonio Brown. It seems unlikely, however, as everybody appears to be waiting for Brown to be cleared to play by the NFL, and with only two weeks left, that doesn’t look to be happening this season ... Fantasy players take note: Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein has a quad injury and will be monitored throughout the week.
I’ll be honest with you, you always think about the one that you missed. If I just set my darn feet and throw it to the running back, it’s 30 for 30.