Brees sets passing yardage record as Saints clobber ’Skins

NEW ORLEANS » Drew Brees’ 62-yard touchdown pass to rookie Tre’Quan Smith made him the NFL’s alltime leader in yards passing and sent the New Orleans Saints well on their way to a lopsided 43-19 victory over the mistake-prone Washington Redskins on Monday night.

Brees entered the game needing 201 yards to eclipse Peyton Manning’s previous mark of 71,940 yards. He had 250 yards and two touchdowns by halftime and finished 26 of 29 for

363 yards and three touchdowns. The 39-year-old quarterback, who looks prolific as ever, has yet to throw an interception this season. He did, however, make his eighth career reception on his own deflected pass, and pushed across the line of scrimmage to add an extra yard to his career total.

The Saints’ Smith, a third-round draft choice last spring, caught two touchdown passes from the

18th-year pro. Brees also hit Smith for a 35-yard score down the right sideline early in the third quarter.

Any hope Washington had of coming back was all but snuffed out when Justin Hardee, a special teams regular who was in the game because of Marshon Lattimore’s concussion symptoms, snagged Alex Smith’s underthrown pass at the Saints’ 19-yard line and returned his first career interception to the Washington 4.

That set up change-ofpace QB Taysom Hill’s 1-yard touchdown run that put the Saints (4-1) up 40-13.

Smith completed 23 of 39 passes for 275 yards for the Redskins (2-2). He ran for a short touchdown late in the first half that pulled Washington within 26-13.

The Redskins came in allowing fewer than 190 yards passing per game and spoke of doing what they could to prevent Brees from making history. Instead, they helped Brees pile up firsthalf yards with third-down penalties that extended two touchdown drives.

Josh Norman’s defensive holding penalty during Brees’ incomplete pass on third-and-4 from the New Orleans 42 helped the Saints on their first scoring drive, capped by Mark Ingram’s short TD run.

In the second quarter, Montae Nicholson’s unnecessary roughness penalty for leveling Ingram on Ryan Kerrigan’s third-down sack of Brees extended a drive that ended with Brees’ short TD pass to Josh Hill.

Rams hope Cooks, Kupp will be ready

THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF. » Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay is hopeful wide receivers Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp will pass the league’s concussion protocol and be available to play at the Denver Broncos on Sunday, but he also knows he has contingency plans if they’re sidelined.

McVay said Monday that Cooks and Kupp did not display any concussion symptoms the day after both were hurt in a 33-31 comeback win at Seattle.

“We’re hopeful to get good positive results with how Cooper and Brandin come back, and if we get them back, then we know that would be a big boost to our offense,” McVay said.

Cooks was evaluated for a concussion after taking helmet hit from Seattle’s Tedric Thompson.