The New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees broke Dan Marino's 27-year single-season passing record as the Saints beat the Atlanta Falcons 45-16 to clinch the NFC South in American Football's NFL.
Brees came into the game needing 305 yards to beat Marino's 1984 record of 5,084 and finished the game with 307, breaking the record with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Darren Sproles with less than three minutes left.
The New Orleans crowd gave Brees a raucous ovation and the Saints called a timeout to mark the milestone and let Brees enjoy the acclaim.
The Saints (12-3) have won seven successive games and head into the season's final game against Carolina with a chance to grab the NFC's number two seed if they win and San Francisco lose.
The Falcons (9-6), also heading to the playoffs, suffered their second loss this season to New Orleans.
