Drew Brees
and
Cam Newton
both wrote their names into the NFL record books in Week 16, adding acclaim to what have been fantastic campaigns from each.

While Newton looks to conclude his tremendous rookie season on a high note, it remains to be seen if Brees will take the field
at home Sunday against the
Carolina Panthers
with the playoff-bound
New Orleans Saints
possibly choosing to err on the side of caution.

Brees threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns – breaking Dan Marino’s mark of 5,084 passing yards set in 1984 – and the Saints
clinched their second NFC South title in three years with Monday night’s 45-16 rout of Atlanta.

“This record isn’t about one person. There might be just one name that goes in ledger under the record, but it’s really about
the team,” Brees told his teammates. “I want everyone to feel a huge part of this, that this record would not have been possible
without them.”

New Orleans (12-3), which has the third seed in the NFC locked up, can only improve its postseason position with both a victory
over the Panthers (6-9) and an unlikely San Francisco loss to St. Louis. Given the circumstances, coach Sean Payton could
choose to rest Brees for most – if not all – of Sunday’s game.

Payton found himself in a similar situation after clinching the division early in 2009. He decided to hold Brees out of the
regular-season finale at Carolina that year before ultimately leading New Orleans to its first Super Bowl championship in
franchise history.

“It was what we needed to do as a team (at that time). “You make decisions. They are not always right. You try to make them
with the right things to help your team,” said Payton, whose team has outscored opponents by an average of 15.6 points during
a seven-game winning streak.

“We just have to be smart. We are playing well, with some momentum. Each year is different.”

With 5,087 passing yards, Brees enters Week 17 just 190 ahead of New England’s
Tom Brady
– leaving Payton with a difficult decision. With the Patriots needing a win to clinch the top spot in the AFC, Brady could
very well surpass Brees’ mark if the Saints’ QB doesn’t play.

“I’m not really aware of the space between the two. I am probably better off not knowing,” Payton said.

“(We have to) put ourselves in the best position to play well and put ourselves in an opportunity to win a championship.”

Chase Daniel
, now in his second NFL season, figures to start if Brees is held out. Daniel has attempted just five career passes.

Though the Panthers will miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season, they have plenty to be excited about heading into
next year thanks to Newton. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft has led Carolina to four wins in five games and helped
post the second-highest scoring output in franchise history during Saturday’s 48-16 dismantling of Tampa Bay.

Newton completed 12 of 17 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns, surpassing
Peyton Manning
‘s previous record for passing yards by a rookie.

“For me to come in and do this is a tribute to so many people, including my coaches,” Newton, who’s thrown for 3,893 yards
and run for another 674, told the team’s official website.

“(My teammates) make my job easy. All I’ve got to do is put the ball in their vicinity, and they do the rest.”

While others have certainly stepped up – most notably wideout
Steve Smith
– Newton has accounted for 34 of Carolina’s 45 offensive touchdowns. His 14 rushing TDs are the most by a quarterback in NFL
history.

“I believe there is certainly that kind of talent in the locker where we can certainly take the next step and become a very
competitive football team (next year),” coach Ron Rivera said. “We have that ability.”

Smith, who along with center
Ryan Kalil
will represent the Panthers at the Pro Bowl, is four receptions away from surpassing Muhsin Muhammad’s team record of 696.

Carolina has dropped three straight in this series, but will look to take another step in the right direction with a win Sunday
– no matter who the Saints have under center.

“Either way, New Orleans is going to have to win, so they’re going to have to play and play hard. We’re going to show up and
play as hard as we can, too,” Rivera said. “You want their best shot. You want to give your best shot and you want to take
their best shot.”

The Panthers found themselves on the verge of victory Oct. 9 but suffered a 30-27 defeat after Brees found
Pierre Thomas
for a six-yard touchdown with 50 seconds remaining.

The Saints, who have won all seven games at the Superdome this season, have never gone 8-0 at home.

Cam Newton
is all but certain to break the NFL’s all-time rookie record for passing yards Saturday against the woeful
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
at Bank of America Stadium.

While he certainly understands the magnitude of that achievement, Newton – as he has been all season – is more focused on
beating his opponent.

With 3,722 passing yards, Newton is 17 away from breaking
Peyton Manning
‘s rookie record set in 1998. The No. 1 overall pick in the draft, however, has other things on his mind.

“We got an excellent game plan to be successful against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
,” he said. “We need this win, it would be an early Christmas gift on Christmas Eve. I’m more worried about the win column
rather than individualistic stats.

“The big goal is to win the game.”

While much has been made about Newton’s eye-popping numbers, his impressive early season stats didn’t lead to much success.
Newton averaged 288.5 passing yards and threw for 12 TDs through 10 games, but he also had 16 turnovers as Carolina started
2-8. He’s since led the Panthers (5-9) to three wins in four games, averaging 209.3 yards through the air while throwing for
five TDs with only two turnovers.

Newton didn’t commit one Sunday as he completed 13 of 23 passes for 149 yards and two scores in a 28-13 victory at Houston.
He’s thrown 16 interceptions during the team’s losses and zero in its wins.

“I think that’s the key to success for the
Carolina Panthers
offensively,” he said. “I look at other quarterbacks across the league and when they do a good job of protecting the football
that’s just the key to the win.

“If you wanna be an elite player, you’re gonna have to do something different. You have to be consistent. I don’t think I’m
consistent enough, I can be more consistent.”

He’s certainly been consistently good running the ball, averaging 50.2 rushing yards over the past eight games and 6.0 per
carry. Newton’s 609 rushing yards are one shy of
Tim Tebow
for the NFL lead among quarterbacks.

The Buccaneers (4-10), whose current eight-game skid is their longest in 24 years, know all too well about Newton’s tremendous
ability.

His three most recent rushing TDs all came in a 38-19 rout of Tampa on Dec. 4, as he broke Steve Grogan’s single-season league
record by a quarterback – set in 1976. Newton’s 13 scores on the round are second in the league to Philadelphia’s
LeSean McCoy
(17).

With the playoffs out of the picture, the Panthers are starting to turn their attention to next season, and have plenty to
be excited about given their recent efforts.

“Some people may say that we aren’t playing for anything,” four-time Pro Bowl wideout
Steve Smith
told the team’s official website. “But we are playing for the next two Sundays and then the first Sunday in September.”

Smith needs five receptions to pass Muhsin Muhammad’s 696 for the most in franchise history. His chances of doing so may have
improved with the Buccaneers placing cornerback
Aqib Talib
on injured reserve Monday with a hamstring injury that kept him out for most of the past three games.

Tampa Bay opened 4-2 and looked headed for a successful campaign before suddenly finding itself in a state of flux. The Buccaneers,
who haven’t lost nine in a row since Sept. 8-Nov. 3, 1985, have been outscored 256-134 during their skid while turning the
ball over an NFL-worst 24 times since Oct. 23.

“It’s hard to make those excuses right now. I won’t do that. Anything you say about talent level, it makes an excuse for yourself,”
coach Raheem Morris said. “We’ve got to go out and do a better job coaching. We have to go out and do a better job playing.
We’ve got to go out there and do a better job getting it done.”

The Buccaneers allowed 28 unanswered points in the first half of last Saturday’s 31-15 loss to Dallas.
Josh Freeman
threw for a season-low 148 yards – the third straight game he failed to crack 200 – and lost a key fumble.

“It’s the National Football League. You have to take some pride in what you are doing, take some pride in being a Buccaneer,”
he said. “If nothing else, do it for your teammates, do it for your coaches.”

Tampa Bay, which ranks 30th in the league with an average of 141.1 rushing yards allowed, is sure to have a hard time slowing
down a Panthers team that’s compiled 171.8 yards per game on the ground over its 3-1 run.