NEW ORLEANS -- Drew Brees became the third -- and fastest -- quarterback in NFL history to reach 70,000 career passing yards with a 12-yard screen pass to Mark Ingram on Sunday.
The New Orleans Saints star joins Peyton Manning and Brett Favre as the only quarterbacks to ever reach the milestone. He said it was "an incredible honor to have had the opportunity to play long enough to see that happen" after the 23-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
"So many people are a part of that," Brees said. "All the guys that blocked, all the guys that caught them, all the coaches that put together the plans to make that happen, so everybody shares in that."
Brees is now less than 2,000 yards away from Manning's all-time record of 71,490 -- which he should break by midseason next year.
Brees, who turns 39 in January, is also in range to become the NFL's all-time leader in touchdown passes if he plays at least two more years. With 487 career touchdown passes, Brees ranks third behind Manning (539) and Favre (508).
Brees is one touchdown pass ahead of the New England Patriots' Tom Brady.
He is on pace to break the NFL's single-season record for completion percentage for the third time in his career. He went 21-for-28 against the Falcons to bump up his completion percentage of 71.9.
Brees' touchdown and yardage numbers, however, are on pace to be the lowest of his 12-year tenure in New Orleans because the Saints have relied so much on running backs Ingram and Alvin Kamara and their defense.
He was selected to his 11th Pro Bowl on Tuesday in his 17-year career spent with the Saints and Chargers.