MVP Candidate Drew Brees Breaks Record on Monday Night

Drew Brees made history Monday night with a performance that had the Mercedes-Benz Superdome crowd in New Orleans partying like it was Fat Tuesday.

The Saints' quarterback broke Dan Marino's 27-year single-season passing record in a 45-16 win over division rival Atlanta, and did it in exciting fashion.

With less than three minutes remaining, Brees found all-purpose back Darren Sproles with a nine-yard touchdown strike. Brees entered the game needing 305 yards to surpass Marino's passing record of 5,084 and finished with 307 with his final pass.

Brees, 32, made another strong case for the 2011 Most Valuable Player award with the performance. It was his fourth touchdown pass of the night, and it cemented the victory for the playoff-bound Saints. Brees completed 23 passs on 39 attempts in the game.

Following the final completion, head coach Sean Payton called timeout before the extra point kick to stretch the ovation before a crowd that has been extremely supportive of the star over the years. Brees was the Super Bowl XLIV MVP for a city that had never won a title.

I love the fact that everybody could be part of this on Monday Night Football, Brees said, according to ESPN. There's so many people that are a part of this. It's not about me. It's about this team, it's about this city, it's about these fans. So many people contributed to this, and I'm happy for them.

On Twitter, Marino posted: Great job by such a special player.