Drew Brees" 465-yard outburst paces New Orleans Saints past Carolina Panthers

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NEW ORLEANS -- Drew Brees is 37, which, in NFL dog years, is one paw away from dog heaven.

But the New Orleans Saints quarterback, a surefire Hall of Famer five years after he retires, simply isn"t finished yet.

Brees displayed his toughness, his brain and his accuracy in Sunday"s 41-38, 465-yard, four-touchdown passing performance against the Carolina Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Those are commodities Brees has used throughout his 16-year NFL career.

One of Brees" nicest throws against the Panthers was his most physically expensive. Under pressure and holding a 31-30 lead, Brees took a shot in the face after he released the ball from defensive tackle Kawann Short that split his lip.

Brees still was able to get the ball away in time toward the left corner of the end zone, where tight end Josh Hill made a leaping catch for a touchdown and 38-30 lead. The personal foul against Short was assessed on the kickoff.

"(The hit) wasn"t that hard, but it looked like he just straight punched me in the mouth," Brees said. "That"s what it felt like, and that"s what it looked like on the Jumbotron, but I"ll take the 15 yards every time. We got the touchdown anyways, so we are all good."

Brees said after the Saints went 0-3 out of the gate and looked left for dead, he tried to model for his younger teammates the work ethic that"s needed to dig out of a self-imposed hole.

And now, suddenly, after two close victories, the Saints are 2-3 and in second place in the NFC South.

"These are defining wins, and these are ones that you can draw from as the season goes along and really get a lot of strength from," Brees said. "It also gives you great confidence and poise for when those situations arise in the future, because you"ve been there before."

Coby Fleener takes a Drew Brees pass for 50 yards and a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers. Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI

Brees" 50-yard TD pass to tight end Coby Fleener, which put the Saints up 31-17 in the third quarter, also has to give New Orleans a reason to feel the breaks are beginning to even out.

Brees appeared to be targeting wide receiver Willie Snead on the play, but Fleener undercut the route and snagged the ball out of the air, running the last 25 yards untouched.

Brees said there was confusion on the route, but he said Fleener was his intended target.

"Coby did exactly what he was supposed to do," Brees said. "We had a little bit of mix-up somewhere else, however. So, I"m throwing the ball to Coby just the way I wanted to, and all of a sudden I just feel this congregation of bodies (in the middle of the field). It kind of created this natural pick ... which worked out nicely."

Source: http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/NFL/2016/10/16/Drew-Brees-465-yard-outburst-paces-New-Orleans-Saints-past-Carolina-Panthers/2671476666427/