Another milestone for Brees as New Orleans whips Cincinnati
Drew Brees threw three touchdown passes to move into second place on the career list and also leaped 1 yard for another score to lead the visiting New Orleans Saints to a 51-14 rout of the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium.
Brees threw all three of his touchdown passes in the first half to pass Brett Favre on the career list with 509. Brees stands 30 touchdown passes behind all-time leader Peyton Manning.
Brees completed 22 of 25 passes for 265 yards in slightly more than three quarters before giving way to reserve quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Michael Thomas caught two touchdown passes and Mark Ingram II caught the other.
Alvin Kamara ran for two scores as the Saints scored touchdowns on all five of their first-half possessions en route to a 35-7 lead.
In stretching their league-best winning streak to eight games, the Saints (8-1) dominated from start to finish, scoring touchdowns on six of their first nine possessions, with the other three drives ending in field goals of 29, 42 and 41 yards by Wil Lutz.
The Saints, who have punted a league-low 19 times in nine games, did not punt against the Bengals (5-4).
The Saints held huge advantages in total yardage (509-284), plays (74-43) and first downs (33-13). New Orleans also converted 7-of-12 third downs and held the Bengals without a first down on six tries.
The Saints opened with a 15-play, 75-yard drive which consumed 8:30 of the first quarter and ended with Brees’ 7-yard pass to Thomas at the left pylon.
The Bengals tied the game for the only time on their first possession, on a 2-yard pass from Andy Dalton to John Ross.
But the Saints blew open the game with four consecutive touchdowns in the second quarter. Ingram made it 14-7 on a perfectly executed 28-yard screen pass, Kamara ran 4 yards for a 21-7 lead and followed that with a 1-yard sweep around right end.
Trailing 28-7, Cincinnati got the ball back in the final minute of the half and drove into Saints’ territory. But quarterback Andy Dalton (12-of-20 for 153 yards, one TD and two interceptions) floated a pass near the goal line and was picked off by safety Marcus Williams, who returned it 78 yards to the Cincinnati 17.
With eight seconds left in the half, Brees found Thomas on a post for a 35-7 lead.
The Saints continued their onslaught in the second half, scoring 16 straight points for a 51-7 lead. Brees got the touchdown by leaping over center and extending the ball over the line.
Meanwhile, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes broke a 54-year-old Kansas City record for touchdown passes in a season on Sunday as the Chiefs downed the Arizona Cardinals 26-14 in Kansas City, Missouri.
The first-year starter completed 21 of 28 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns, raising his season total to 31 and breaking the franchise record of 30 set in 1964 by Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson.
The 9-1 start ties the best by Kansas City through its first 10 games, and it was the Chiefs’ sixth straight win.
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill grabbed seven receptions for 117 yards and two touchdowns, added a 20-yard rush, and also had an 82-yard TD on a punt return wiped out by a penalty. Kareem Hunt added 71 yards on 16 carries in the Chiefs’ lowest scoring output of the season.