Rest may give mark to Brees

Drew Brees will get some rest in the New Orleans Saints’ regular-season finale at Carolina, likely keeping his NFL-record completion percentage intact.

Coach Sean Payton has decided to start Mark Brunell in place of the star quarterback for today’s game.

If Brees doesn’t play, as expected, his completion mark of 70.60 percent will break the record of 70.55 set by Ken Anderson with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1982.

Brees was aware of the record.

“When I was a rookie quarterback in San Diego, I looked up all the records,” he said on Thursday. “I just wanted to know, you know? So I knew them all by heart there for a while.”

Still, Brees said earlier this week that he was prepared to play today and throw as often as Payton deemed necessary, taking the same approach to maintaining his completion percentage that Ted Williams took to hitting .400.

Brees wears No. 9 in honor of Williams, the Boston Red Sox legend who raised his batting average from .400 to .406 by playing on the final day of the 1941 baseball season.

“I’m going to do whatever I’m asked to do and whatever I can to help this team,” Brees said.

Broncos caught in bind

The Denver Broncos’ thin group of wide receivers took another hit Saturday when the team promoted Matt Willis from its practice squad, a sign that Eddie Royal is unlikely to play today.

Coach Josh McDaniels already is benching Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall and tight end Tony Scheffler for disciplinary reasons for the game against Kansas City with a playoff berth at stake.

If, as expected, a neck injury keeps Royal out for the second straight game, the Broncos would be left with Jabar Gaffney, Brandon Stokley, Brandon Lloyd and Willis at receiver. The four have combined for 58 catches and five TDs this season, about half of what Marshall has.