With a flick of his wrist, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees not only helped lift the Saints to their first victory of the season over the San Diego Chargers, but also broke a half-century-old record held by legendary hall-of-famer Johnny Unitas for most consecutive games with a touchdown.
Brees' long touchdown pass against his former team in the first quarter marked the 48th straight game for the explosive quarterback with a touchdown. Unitas set the previous 47-game streak record more than 50 years ago, from 1956-1960 with the Baltimore Colts.
Brees began the streak back on October 18, 2009, and finally surpassed Unitas a little under three years from that date. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is third on the all-time list, with a current streak of 37 games that stretches back to September 12, 2010.
The 40-yard touchdown pass to Devery Henderson came with around three minutes left in the first quarter, with the Saints trailing the Chargers 7-0. The Saints then went on to defeat the Chargers 31-24, giving them their first victory this season after four straight losses.
"While you never want to start 0-4, if you do, you've got the right guys in the locker room to turn that thing around and certainly not turn on each other," Brees said.
"We understand we have a little bit of a mountain to climb here. ... We got the right people in the locker room, and that makes you feel you always have a chance."
The New Orleans Saints have the next week off, and will then face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 21 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
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