Drew Brees has been in a class of his own during his 13 seasons with the New Orleans Saints and on Monday night he moved to the head of the NFL class.
In a 43-19 victory over the visiting Washington Redskins, Brees threw for 363 yards to surpass Peyton Manning as the NFL's all-time passing yardage leader, giving him 72,103 yards in 254 games over 18 seasons.
"Just so grateful for the opportunity to play this game and to have played it so long and to have the teammates that I have, and the New Orleans Saints organisation, and this great city and this great fan base," Brees said.
"It's just truly been a dream come true. I'll be able to reflect on it maybe a little bit more when my career is done.
"I still feel like there's work to be done."
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Manning, a New Orleans native, compiled his 71,940 passing yards in 266 games.
"All your hard work and dedication have paid off," Manning said in a pre-recorded a congratulatory message played on the Superdome's big screens.
Brees completed 26-of-29 passes and threw three touchdown passes, giving him 499 for his career, and led the Saints (4-1) to touchdowns on their first four possessions to take a 26-6 first-half lead.
Brees completed 12 of his first 14 passes for 166 yards, leaving him 35 yards short of surpassing Manning's record late in the second quarter.
Then, playing a first down, Brees looked off the Redskins secondary and found rookie receiver Tre'Quan Smith alone on the right sideline for a 62-yard touchdown, giving him the passing-yardage record.
With the game stopped, Brees's teammates rushed to midfield to mob him.
Brees posed for pictures on the sidelines with his wife, Brittany, and their four children.
"I love you guys so much," Brees told his family.
"You can accomplish anything in life if you're willing to work for it."
Earlier this season, Brees broke Brett Favre's career record of 6,300 completions.
He trails Manning's record of 539 touchdown passes with New England Patriots' Tom Brady on 500.
Brees played five years for the then-San Diego Chargers after being drafted in 2001 before the 11-time Pro Bowler joined the Saints in 2006, leading them to victory in the 2009 Super Bowl.
