In the 2005 regular-season finale, as the Broncos were steamrolling toward a 13-3 record and the AFC West title, Denver defensive tackle Gerard Warren changed the course of things when he landed on the Chargers’ starting quarterback, Drew Brees.
Brees ended up with shoulder surgery, the Chargers moved on to their backup quarterback — a guy named Philip Rivers — and Brees was left to start anew in New Orleans.
Six seasons and one Super Bowl trophy later, Brees is poised this weekend to jump into the fast lane of passing history. He has 50 career 300-yard passing games, including six already this season.
With one more, he will tie Hall of Famer Dan Fouts for fifth on the all-time list — Peyton Manning and Dan Marino are tied for No. 1 with 63 career 300-yard games.
With 3,004 yards passing after nine games, Brees also is on pace to break Marino’s all-time single-season mark of 5,084 yards passing, set in 1984. Brees, at his current pace of 333.8 yards per game, would finish with an astounding 5,340 yards and also become the first quarterback in history with two 5,000-yard seasons.
Must-see game of the week
Steelers at Bengals 11 a.m.
The skinny: This one would go a long way to move the Bengals out from being the surprise of the season into the role of division favorite as the season turns toward the stretch run. The Steelers have dominated this rivalry, having won seven of the last nine meetings. Overall, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is just 5-12 against the Steelers in his career in Cincinnati. The Bengals haven’t lost since back-to-back defeats in Week 2 — to the Broncos when Kyle Orton threw two touchdown passes — and Week 3 against the 49ers.
The difference will be: How Bengals rookie QB Andy Dalton handles his first look at Dick LeBeau’s attacking defense. The Steelers bring pressure from all over the formation in what is routinely an unconventional assortment of coverages behind that rush. It can be difficult for an experienced quarterback to find the one-on-one matchups in the mayhem, let alone a rookie getting his first glance at it. Dalton has thrown six TD passes and just two interceptions over his last three starts and has shown the patience of a veteran at times.
The call: Steelers 23-16
Catch them if you can
Saints at Falcons 11 a.m., KDVR-31
Saints QB Brees leads the league in passing yards and is second in TDs with 21, while the Saints’ offense is No. 1 overall at 445.1 per game. Brees also has had a TD pass in 36 consecutive games. So, in short, it’s a tall order for an Atlanta defense that has struggled to slow down opposing quarterbacks. The key for Atlanta is getting the run game going — they’re 25-1 in games when RB Michael Turner gets at least 21 carries.
The call: Saints 31-24
Lions at Bears 2:15 p.m., KDVR-31
The Lions have had a chance to heal up, especially quarterback Matthew Stafford, as they come off a bye week. They will show how much maturity they have as they try to position themselves for a Thanksgiving Day showdown with the Packers. The Bears have controlled things in recent years, having won six of the last seven. Bears QB Jay Cutler is 4-1 against the Lions with 10 TDs and just one interception in those games.
The call: Lions 28-24
Giants at 49ers 2:15 p.m.
QB Alex Smith, in the 49ers’ controlled attack, has been particularly tough for defenses to deal with in home games. Smith is 6-1 in his last seven home starts with 13 TDs and one interception. The Giants have let others spend the time in the season’s limelight and quietly lead the NFC East. Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul has 14 sacks in his past 14 games.
The call: Giants 24-17
Patriots at Jets 6:20 p.m., KUSA-9
The Patriots still have Tom Brady at QB and Bill Belichick on the sideline, but they are wobbly these days with their continued talent drain and inability to replace the players they let go or sign elsewhere. Belichick’s team is last in the league in defense. The Jets are 4-0 at home this season, 1-3 on the road.
The call: Jets 27-23
Titans at Panthers 11 a.m.
The Titans’ spotty secondary could use RB Chris Johnson to shake his season-long doldrums. Tennessee will certainly try to keep the Panthers’ high-output offense off the field by pounding the ball at the Carolina defense. But Johnson has just one 100-yard game and doesn’t have a run longer than 25 yards this season.
The call: Titans 31-30
Quick hits
Rams at Browns 11 a.m.
Browns coach Pat Shurmur will have plenty of information on how to attack Rams QB Sam Bradford. Shurmur was Bradford’s offensive coordinator with the Rams before taking the Browns job. Bradford has been sacked at least four times in four of his six starts this season.
The call: Browns 20-13
Bills at Cowboys 11 a.m.
These teams haven’t faced each other in Texas since 2003, when Quincy Carter was the Cowboys’ QB. The Bills are coming off a shaky loss to the Jets but always bring the big play with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.
The call: Cowboys 31-28
Jaguars at Colts 11 a.m.
Two of the league’s worst offenses will try to find their way. The struggles have been particularly profound at QB, with Indy’s Curtis Painter having thrown five interceptions and no TDs in the last three games, and Jaguars rookie Blaine Gabbert having completed less than 50 percent of his passes in four of six starts.
The call: Colts 17-14
Redskins at Dolphins 11 a.m.
Things have certainly unraveled for the Redskins since their 3-1 start, and a talent-thin roster hasn’t been able to keep up with the injuries. The defense continues to be too generous, and QB John Beck has been sacked 14 times in the last three games.
The call: Dolphins 24-23
Cardinals at Eagles 11 a.m.
The Cardinals will have to fight the urge to pick up the pace on offense, with former Eagles QB Kevin Kolb trying to show his former team a little something. The Eagles win the fast-break games with almost anyone, but their defense can be punished in the run game by those offenses patient enough to try.
The call: Eagles 34-21
Texans at Buccaneers 11 a.m.
The Texans are poised for their first division title, as well as first playoff spot, in franchise history if they can maintain their poise, and running game, down the stretch. QB Matt Schaub has thrown for 1,119 yards and eight TDs in four road games this year.
The call: Texans 30-20
Ravens at Seahawks 2:05 p.m.
Ravens QB Joe Flacco has back-to- back 300-yard passing games, including his drive to beat the Steelers last week. If the Ravens put the long trip behind them, they should keep at least their share of the AFC North lead. The call: Ravens 24-12
