SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 23, 2011
Drew Brees threw three of his five touchdown passes in the first quarter to spark the New Orleans Saints to a 62-7 demolition of the visiting Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night.
Marques Colston and Jimmy Graham caught two scoring passes apiece for the Saints (5-2), who bolted to a 28-0 lead and scored on their first nine possessions en route to setting a franchise record for points in a game.
With head coach Sean Payton forced to watch from the press box after sustaining a fractured tibia and torn meniscus during last week's game, Darren Sproles added a rushing and receiving TD as New Orleans piled up 557 yards of total offense.
Indianapolis, which fell to 0-7 for the first time since the 1997 season, allowed the most points in franchise history, surpassing the previous high – a 57-0 loss to the Chicago Bears on Nov. 25, 1962.
It was the most touchdown passes Brees has thrown in a game since he tossed five against New England on Nov. 30, 2009 - the season in which the Saints went on to win the Super Bowl with a 31-17 victory over Indianapolis.
After throwing eight interceptions in his previous four games, Brees carved up the Colts with surgical precision by going 31 of 35 for 325 yards and zero picks.
He was replaced by Chase Daniel on the final play of the third quarter, denying his bid to extend his record streak of four straight games with at least 350 yards passing.
Brees threw two scoring passes to Colston and one to Sproles as the Saints converted two early turnovers into a 21-0 first-quarter lead.
The Colts got on the scoreboard late in the first half on rookie Delone Carter's 2-yard run that made it 31-7.