New Orleans Saints 2018 season recap: Drew Brees

Brees became the NFL's all-time passing king

Feb 04, 2019 at 12:21 PM

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees put together one of the finest seasons of his 18-year career, leading the Saints to a 13-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. In the process he became the NFL's all-time passing king and broke his own record for completion percentage. Brees finished the 2018 season, his 13th with the Saints, with an NFL-record completion percentage (74.4 percent), and a career-high quarterback rating (115.7). He completed 364 of 489 passes for 3,992 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just five interceptions in 15 games (he was rested in the season finale vs. the Carolina Panthers). For the third year in a row, Brees was selected to the Pro Bowl, making this his 11th season as a selection and was second team All-Pro. Brees was the NFC Offensive Player of the Month in December and was the NFC Offensive Player of the Week twice. He was the runner-up in voting for the MVP award and was the winner of the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.

BEST GAME: Brees isn't a stranger to the record books, but against the Washington Redskins on Oct. 8, he set one of the ages, becoming the NFL's all-time passing yardage leader, surpassing Peyton Manning. Surrounded by family, fans, and in front a "Monday Night Football" national TV audience, Brees completed 26 of 29 attempts (a career-high completion percentage of 89.7) for 363 yards and three touchdowns in the win over the Redskins. The record-setting play came on a 62-yard touchdown pass to Tre'Quan Smith which gave the Saints a 26-6 lead. Brees finished the season with 74,437 career passing yards. Next season he should set NFL records for touchdown passes (he has 520, 19 behind Manning) and passing attempts, (he has 9,783, trailing Brett Favre's 10,169).

BEST QUOTE: "I have broken down and cried a bunch of times this week. Thinking about so many things, I feel like when you have kids too you get a little more emotional, just because I get emotional whenever I think about them. Being a father is obviously the greatest responsibility in the world. I want to be the best father I can be for them, I want to set the best example I can for them at all times. I think about all of the people that have influenced my life in such a powerful way, there were so many of those people that were here tonight that witnessed this, so many people that I spoke to this week that are a part of this and so many others still that I haven't had a chance to reach out to and that time will come. Two of the people that have had the biggest influence on my football career certainly and made me who I am growing up are my mom and my grandfather, they are in heaven, they are no longer here, but I know they would be proud and they are watching down on me, looking down on me and watching over me at all times and my kids as well. You start thinking about a lot of things."

BEST SOCIAL POST:

View this post on Instagram

I’ve spent this last week navigating the heartache and disappointment from the game. Some things within our control and some outside our control that caused us to fall short. So much of our motivation is to represent the Who Dat Nation with determination and resiliency. We want to play for you, fight for you, and win for you. You deserve that. The longer I play I realize that we truly are one heartbeat with our fans. Our success is your success. Our disappointment is your disappointment. We are inspired by one another to accomplish things far greater than what we could ever do on our own. Everything that has ever happened to this community, we have bonded together, galvanized and leaped forward every time. The frustration we feel now can be channeled in the same way. Pour that passion and emotion into your families and communities. Inspire others with your focus & determination and positive outlook. This will make us stronger, this will bond us tighter, this will be a source for our success in the future. There is no place like New Orleans. There is no community like ours. No fans like the Who Dat Nation. I refuse to let this hold us down. I refuse to let this create any negativity or resentment. I embrace the challenge. So keep your chin up, hold your head high, puff your chest out because WE are the Who Dat Nation and WE will always persevere.

A post shared by Drew Brees (@drewbrees) on Jan 28, 2019 at 6:23am PST

The staff of NewOrleansSaints.com created a nine-part video series on Brees' life titled 9 for No. 9: A Champion's Journey. Links to all nine episodes are below:

Chapter 1: High school
Chapter 2: Purdue
Chapter 3: Joining the Chargers
Chapter 4: The injury
Chapter 5: Joining the Saints
Chapter 6: Super Bowl
Chapter 7: Family
Chapter 8: Community
Chapter 9: Legacy

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New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) kisses his wife Brittany as he greets his family, after breaking the NFL all-time passing record in the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins in New Orleans, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

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Rams 26 - Saints 23 (L) OT NFC Championship Game

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Saints 20 - Eagles 14 (W) Divisional Game

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Saints News | New Orleans Saints | NewOrleansSaints.com

New Orleans Saints 2018 season recap: Drew Brees

Brees became the NFL's all-time passing king

Best of the Saints in 2018: Top 100 Drew Brees Photos

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