Brees says he’ll approach completion percentage record like Ted Williams did hitting .400

Like Williams, Brees prefers to play for record

METAIRIE, La. — Drew Brees says he’ll approach his chance to get the NFL’s completion percentage record like Ted Williams approached hitting .400.

The New Orleans quarterback has completed 363 of 514 passes this season for 4,388 yards — a completion percentage of 70.6.

The NFL record is 70.55 percent, set by Cincinnati’s Ken Anderson in 1982.

The 13-2 Saints have clinched the NFC’s top seed, so their starters may not play much at Carolina on Sunday.

Brees knows he could set a new record by sitting out, but he wants to play as much as head coach Sean Payton will let him.

Brees wears No. 9 in honor of Williams, the Boston Red Sox legend who could have hit .400 by sitting out his last game in 1941, but played instead and wound up hitting .406.