Drew Brees broke Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas’ half-century-old record by throwing a touchdown pass in his 48th straight game, and the New Orleans Saints defeated the San Diego Chargers 31-24 on Sunday night.
Brees’ 40-yard pass to Devery Henderson eclipsed the mark of 47 consecutive games with a touchdown pass Unitas set from 1956-60.
Brees said he was honored and humbled to break a record by a player he saw as a pioneer who stood for “everything that’s great in this league.”
Brees finished with four touchdown passes, including three to Marques Colston, giving the seventh-year receiver a franchise-record 52 TD catches with the Saints (1-4).
At Brees’ request, the NFL allowed coach Sean Payton, assistant head coach Joe Vitt and general manager Mickey Loomis — all serving various suspensions in connection with the NFL’s bounty investigation — to attend the game. They and Unitas’ son, Joe, saw Brees pass for 370 yards, enough to put Brees over 30,000 yards in his 100th game as a Saint.
Information from Espn.com and The Associated Press contributed to this report.