Kyle Orton might very well have put together his best game as a pro Sunday night, and it did so in only a half.

The former Boilermaker quarterback passed for 170-plus yards, with three spot-on touchdown passes and a pick in the first 30 minutes. That, according to some, announced than Orton was becoming much more than merely a game manager; Instead, he went out and won one.

Speaking of quarterbacks, Drew Brees is putting together a heck of a season in New Orleans, not that many — at least nationally — are noticing. Where is the national respectClick Of course, now Orton's got to find a way to put a full 60 minutes together, which he's yet to do this season. But there are signs of growth. Here to view this Link.?

SI's Peter King is apparently one of the few paying attention, as he named Brees his Offensive Player of the Quarter in this week's Monday Morning Quarterback.

Here's Brees numbers: 107-148 passing (a whooping 72.3 completion percentage), for 1,343 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. His QB rating is 106.9. He's on pace to throw for 5,372 yards, with 32 touchdowns and 16 picks, this season. Wow.

That, by the way, would be more than 500 yards more than Tom Brady had last year, when the Patriots were winging the ball all over the yard in a 16-0 regular-season. Oh, and it would break Dan Marino's single-season yardage record; the former 'phin threw for 5,084 yards in 1984, setting the NFL standard.

And Brees' completion percentage — should it hold up for the next 12 games — is nearly two points higher than Ken Anderson, who completed 70.55 percent of his passes with Cincinnati in 1982.

Although it's been a rough week for the Lions — after Detroit's 0-3 start, ownership axed GM Matt Millen — Cliff Avril tried to spent the bye relaxing at homeClick All that, and two of Brees' top targets this season — Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey have missed games due to injury, making his accomplishments all the more impressive. Here to view this Link. before getting back at it.

More notes …

Dustin Keller helped Brett Favre make a bit of history Sunday, as the legendary quarterback — now of the New York Jets — had a career day in New York's 56-35 victory over Arizona at Giants Stadium.

In the win, Favre completed 24-of-34 passes for 289 yards with a career-high six touchdown passes, the last a 24-yard strike to Keller with just more than a minute remaining. After the catch, the former Boilermaker tight end dunked the football over the goal post. He then caught the ensuing two-point conversion.

• San Diego offensive lineman Nick Hardwick played for the first time this year against Oakland, after missing the first three weeks of season following off-season foot surgery. Hardwick, however, didn't play at his usual center position, instead getting the start at left guard.

Hardwick last played left guard in early 2002 at Purdue before moving to center.

• Linebacker Anthony Spencer returned to Dallas' active Roster for Week 4, after sitting out due to his knee injury the week before. Aside from his two quarterback hurries, Spencer also contributed to special teams, with a tackle and a kickoff return. On a short kickoff, Spencer, an upback, returned the football 18 yards.

Detroit Lions (0-3; BYE)

Houston Texans (0-3; 30-27 loss at Jacksonville)

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2; 30-27 win over Houston)

Tennessee Titans (4-0; 30-17 win over Minnesota)

Denver Broncos (3-1; 33-19 loss at Kansas City)

Kansas City Chiefs (1-3; 33-19 win over Denver)

Minnesota Vikings (1-3; 30-17 loss at Tennessee)

New Orleans Saints (2-2; 31-17 win over San Francisco)

New York Jets (2-2; 56-35 win over Arizona)

St. Louis Rams (0-4; 31-14 loss to Buffalo)

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