It's always fun when two of the best go head-to-head in any sporting event, and Sunday provides another one of those opportunities when the New Orleans Saints visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The teams are led by their veteran star quarterbacks: Drew Brees of the Saints and Tampa Bay's prized offseason addition Tom Brady. The two men have been at the top of the football world for so long that it's easy to take them for granted, but their teams definitely know the value they each contribute as the Bucs and Saints sit first and second in the NFC South, respectively.
With both QBs having already earned their way onto a future Hall of Fame ballot, it comes as no surprise that Brees and Brady are statistically among the top passers in NFL history. One specific record they have in common — literally — is all-time touchdown passes, with both men having held the honour over the past year.
Brees, 41, first claimed the top spot back on Dec. 16, 2019, when he connected on his 540th TD pass to surpass Peyton Manning. At that point, Manning had held the record for five years and 58 days, so one could forgive Brees if he thought he could settle in for a nice, long reign as the NFL's new TD king.
Unfortunately for Brees, his time at No. 1 would be the shortest to date — he held on to the title for 314 days until Brady placed himself atop the all-time TD pile on Oct. 25 of this year. However, the Buccaneers' pivot lasted just a week in the top spot as Brees reclaimed the honour on Nov. 1.
Not to be outdone, 43-year-old Brady needed just a single day to usurp Brees' throne as he upped the all-time mark to 561 TD passes in a 25-23 Bucs victory over the hapless Giants on Nov. 2.
The back-and-forth sets up nicely for Sunday's matchup as Brees gets the chance to reclaim the title directly against Brady's Buccaneers. With both men still playing at an extremely high level for explosive teams, it wouldn't be surprising to see the record change hands several times during Sunday's game.