Brees sets NFL single-season passing record

New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees eclipsed Dan Marino's 27-year-old NFL record for passing yards in a season as he led the Saints to a 45-16 victory over Atlanta. Brees on Monday broke Marino's 5,084-yard mark, set in 1984, with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Darren Sproles with 2:51 remaining in the contest. A beaming Brees was congratulated on the sidelines by teammates as New Orleans fans cheered, the Superdome public address announcer recognizing his feat before the game continued. He finished the night with four touchdowns and 307 passing yards, taking his total for the season to 5,087 yards with one game remaining. With the victory over division rivals Atlanta, the Saints clinched the NFC South division title. The Falcons have also booked a playoff berth. Brees came into the game with 4,780 yards. "Honestly, I was really trying not to think about the record," said Brees, who also became the first NFL quarterback to throw for more than 5,000 yards in two seasons, having done so in 2008. "I was just thinking about throwing completions and making touchdowns," he said. Brees's 41-yard pass to Robert Meachem with 33 seconds remaining in the first half gave the Saints signal-caller his second 5,000-yard passing season, and a nine-yard scoring pass to Jimmy Graham gave New Orleans a 21-10 halftime lead. At that point Brees was 75 yards short of Marino's record. A 24-yard touchdown pass to Meachem left him 31 yards shy of the mark and he admitted that at that point he knew "we were close". Saints coach Sean Payton admitted he would not normally have called for a passing play so late in the game. "Typically would I be throwing there? The answer would probably be no," Payton said. "In fact, the answer is, 'I wouldn't be.' But I thought it was appropriate to get (the record), and we did it... I felt real good about my decision." The Saints can secure the second seed in the NFC behind Green Bay with a win against Carolina next week coupled with a San Francisco loss to St. Louis.