New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees passed Peyton Manning for first place on the NFL’s all-time passing touchdowns list with 540.
On first-and-goal from the 5-yard line with 7:08 to go in the third quarter, Brees dropped back and threw a touchdown pass to tight end Josh Hill in the left corner of the end zone to help put the Saints ahead of the Indianapolis Colts 27-0 after the extra point.
5️⃣4️⃣0️⃣@drewbrees is the all-time leader in passing touchdowns! ? #Saints
?: #INDvsNO on ESPN
?: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app
Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/sWmUbeqQpz pic.twitter.com/U04iyNHtRx— NFL (@NFL) December 17, 2019
The former 2001 San Diego Chargers second–round pick from Purdue was thought to have broken the record with with 14 seconds left until halftime with a 5-yard touchdown to receiver Tre’Quan Smith. However, officials called Smith for offensive pass interference and took what would have been the record-setting scoring throw off the board.
Brees may not hold the touchdown passes record for long as New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady currently has 538, third-most on the all-time list. With two more games to go in the regular season, Brees and Brady could exchange spots for first and second all-time.
On Saturday during Week 16, the Patriots host the Buffalo Bills, giving Brady an opportunity to surpass Drew Brees. However, if the Patriots quarterback does overtake Brees, the New Orleans quarterback can reclaim first on Sunday at the Tennessee Titans.