Brees sets career TD mark in win
NFL
Drew Brees became the NFL’s alltime leader in touchdown passes, throwing for four scores to lead the Saints to a 34-7 victory over the Colts on Monday night in New Orleans.
The scoring strike that broke Peyton Manning’s record of 539 career touchdown passes came in the third quarter, when Brees hit tight end Josh Hill for a 5-yard score. Brees’ next pass in the game was the 541st scoring toss of his career, a 28-yard TD to reserve QB and utility player Taysom Hill that put the Saints up 34-0.
Brees came into the game holding records for completions with 6,792 and yards passing with 72,577 — and built on those numbers by also setting a record for completion percentage in a game. He completed 29 of 30 passes — 96.7% — for 307 yards before being relieved by Teddy Bridgwater in the fourth. That broke the mark Philip Rivers had held since completing 28 of 29 (96.6%) against the Cardinals last season.
The victory kept the Saints (11-3), who’d already won the NFC South, in the running with the 49ers (11-3) and Packers (11-3) for one of the top two seeds in the NFC playoffs. The Colts (6-8) were eliminated from playoff contention after losing their fourth straight and sixth out of seven.
Jacoby Brissett struggled at times and finished 18 of 34 for 165 yards against a Saints defense looking for redemption after allowing 48 points in a loss to the 49ers a week earlier.
Meanwhile, Colts defenders had no answer for Michael Thomas, who caught 12 passes for 128 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown. Thomas’ eighth game this season with at least 10 catches give him 133 for the season, which is also the fourth-highest single-season total in NFL history.
With four more catches, Thomas will pass Antonio Brown and Julio Jones for second most in a season and needs 11 to eclipse Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison’s record of 143 from 2002.
Another ban for Gordon: The troubles that have followed Josh Gordon throughout his career continued Monday as the Seahawks wide receiver was suspended indefinitely by the NFL for violating league policies on performance enhancers and substances of abuse.
Gordon was reinstated by the NFL in August after having been suspended indefinitely in December 2018, missing the final three games of last season for violations of the league’s substance abuse policy.
Gordon signed with the Patriots and was among the leading receivers for the defending Super Bowl champs with 20 catches for 287 yards and a touchdown through six games. But he was placed on injured reserve with knee and ankle injuries and was released in late October.
The Seahawks stepped in and claimed the oft-troubled receiver off waivers. His first game came in Week 10 against the 49ers when Gordon made a pair of key catches late in the Seahawks’ 27-24 overtime win. Gordon had seven receptions over five games with the Seahawks.
Gordon’s brief stint with the Seahawks finished with 11 targets, 139 yards receiving and one incomplete pass attempt on a trick play.
Gordon was also suspended for the first two games of the 2013 season for a substance abuse policy violation but still caught 87 passes for nine touchdowns and a league-leading 1,646 yards and was voted to the All-Pro team. He has been in and out of the league since.
This is the eighth time Gordon has been suspended by the league or a team.
Extra points: Texans coach Bill O’Brien said he wasn’t ruling out the possibility defensive end J.J. Watt could return this season from a torn pectoral muscle. Watt, a three-time defensive player of the year, suffered the injury in Week 8 . ... The Chiefs claimed veteran pass rusher Terrell Suggs off waivers, filling a massive hole at defensive end after losing Alex Okafor to a torn pectoral muscle a day earlier against the Broncos. Suggs, 37, spent the first 16 years of his career with the Ravens before spending most of last season with the Cardinals, who waived him last week . ... The Saints claimed CB Janoris Jenkins off waivers after the Giants cut the veteran corner Friday for using an offensive term on Twitter and refusing to apologize.