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Drew Brees wins game with 400th career touchdown
Drew Brees hit a couple notable career throwing marks on Sunday night, passing for his 5,000th career completion and his 400th touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys. The former set his team on the winning path, and the latter won the game for the Saints in overtime, 26-20.
There was a time, not so long ago, when New Orleans-Dallas would have been must-watch television. Brees vs. Tony Romo, among so many others, made The Big Easy vs. The Big D one of the year's great showdowns. But Romo is on the sidelines. Brees is a weak-armed shadow of his former self, at least for the moment. The game ended on a high note for Brees, but the overwhelming message is clear: These are two teams that don't scare anybody.
Brees, who had been limited in action because of injuries sustained earlier this season, threw completion No. 5,000 to Josh Hill in the first quarter for a go-ahead touchdown, No. 399 on his career list. He would finish 33 of 41 for 359 yards and two touchdowns against a depleted and inexperienced Dallas defense.
Brees ranks behind only Brett Favre (6,300) and Peyton Manning (6,025) on the career completions list. Brees' 400th touchdown came on an 80-yard pass to C.J. Spiller, a touchdown that slammed the door on Dallas without even giving the Cowboys a shot in OT.
For the record, Brees' first touchdown came on November 4, 2001, while with the San Diego Chargers. He completed a 20-yard pass to Freddie Jones, his only touchdown of his rookie season. He'd get better.
On the career touchdowns list, Brees ranks behind Manning (536), Favre (508), Dan Marino (420) and Tom Brady (401). Decent company. He also set an NFL record Sunday night with 48 consecutive home games with a touchdown pass, and has thrown for a touchdown in 93 of his past 94 games.
The Cowboys, for their part, looked fragile and lost for most of the game, and saw both running back Lance Dunbar and wide receiver Brice Butler lost to injury. Romo's replacement, Brandon Weeden, spent most of the night looking for dump-down passes and easy outs, but orchestrated an eight-play, 91-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter that tied the game. Weeden finished the game 16 of 26 for 246 yards and a touchdown; like Brees, he suffered three sacks.
The game leaves Dallas in a three-way tie with New York and Washington for the NFC East lead, and while the odds would seem to favor Dallas, nothing from Sunday night's game should give the Cowboys significant confidence in the team's ability to construct a complete 60-minute game without Romo under center.
New Orleans only managed to stay three games behind Atlanta and Carolina for the NFC South lead. Brees, like Peyton Manning in Denver, has enough football savvy and will to outwit weaker defenses, but against stronger lines he's likely to get devoured unless and until his shoulder heals up.
We'll see Dallas late into the season simply because the NFC East is so awful. But New Orleans needs to step up in a hurry, or the Saints will be a memory before November.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.
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