Drew Brees Sets Touchdown Record, Passes Johnny Unitas

Oct 08, 2012 01:52 PM EDT | Matt Mercuro

Drew Brees has unquestionably been one of the best quarterbacks in the National Football League since first breaking in during the 2001-02 season.  On Sunday, Brees set another record to make sure no one soon forgets it.

With a touchdown pass to a wide-open Devery Henderson, Brees broke the record for most touchdown passes thrown in consecutive games. For 48 straight games, Brees has thrown a touchdown, which officially puts him ahead of the great Johnny Unitas for the most all-time.

Unitas's record stood for 52 years, an incredible feat considering the amount of quarterbacks that have come since Unitas retired.

There was little to no doubt that Brees would break the record, as Unitas' son Joe was on hand to see Brees break the record and personally congratulate him on the historic accomplishment. The Saints also won their first game of the season against the Chargers by a score of 31-24 on Sunday Night Football.

''The amazing thing about a record like this is it spans over the course of four seasons and hopefully we can keep it going to for a while,'' said Brees after the game in a press conference. ''There are so many people that are a part of this.''

Unitas wasn't the only special guest Brees had on hand, as he was able to convince the league to allow the suspended Sean Payton to attend the game from the stands. Payton, the head coach of the Saints, is serving a yearlong suspension from the game due to his involvement in the Saints' bounty scandal.

Last season Brees threw for 5,476 yards in 16 games, which broke Dan Marino's all-time record of 5,084 yards. Marino threw for that total in 1984 when teams didn't throw nearly as much as they do today. He finished second last year in the MVP voting to Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers.

In 2010, Brees was the main reason the Saints were able to win their first Super Bowl in franchise history, and was named Super Bowl MVP after throwing 288 yards and two touchdowns in the game. Since the win he has received endorsement deals and recognition from many different media outlets including 2010 AP Male Athlete of the Year and Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award in 2010.

Tom Brady is currently third on the list with 37 consecutive games with a touchdown thrown. 

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