DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions did little to stand in the way of Drew Brees and his quest to pass his way into the record book.
The New Orleans Saints quarterback continued his assault on Hall of Famer Dan Marino's record for most passing yards in a season by throwing for 351 yards and two touchdowns in the Saints' 42-7 thrashing of the Lions on Sunday at Ford Field.
Brees has thrown for 4,683 yards this season, 401 short of Marino's 1984 record.
He will try to break the former Miami Dolphins quarterback's record next weekend when New Orleans hosts the Carolina Panthers.
"I try not to talk about (the record) as much as possible, but it's hard not to because that's what everyone wants to talk about," Brees said. "If it is meant to be, it's meant to be. We will do what it takes to win the game."
Brees' yards came effortlessly Sunday as he moved the New Orleans offense up and down the field, dissecting a Detroit defense for 532 total yards.
The Saints were an astonishing 11-of-12 on third-down conversions, with the only failed conversion coming when Brees took a knee to end the game and send the Lions' record to 0-15.
"It was kind of a crazy game, with our ability to mix the run and the pass," Brees said. "We converted every third down, except for that last one. It was a complete team win."
The complete win started up front, New Orleans coach Sean Payton said.
"I was pleased with our effort," Payton said. "We did a good job on our offense on third downs, and I thought for the most part we did a good job of keeping (Brees) clean and he found the right receivers."
Brees was not sacked Sunday. He has been sacked only 11 times this season.
Detroit quarterbacks have been sacked 51 times, including twice against the Saints.
In Sunday's win, Brees broke his own team records for yards and touchdowns thrown in a season. He has 30 touchdowns thrown and 16 interceptions.
Since joining the Saints before the 2006 season as a free agent, Brees has thrown for 4,418, 4,423 and now 4,683 yards, the most by any NFL quarterback during that span.
On the other side of the field, the Lions have been left to wonder "what if," because Brees was available in the free- agent market after being let go by the San Diego Chargers after his 2005 Pro Bowl season.
Instead of pursuing Brees, the Lions settled on Jon Kitna and continue to wait on their next Pro Bowl quarterback.
"I was available for anyone to get me then," Brees said.
"It came down to Miami and New Orleans, they were the only ones that were serious. I ended up where I belong."
