A quick observation of quarterback Drew Brees and how he played in the New Orleans Saints' 31-15 victory in Week 15:

Suddenly Brees has become human at home and unstoppable on the road. Brees gave another outstanding performance Monday night against the Chicago Bears despite some chilly temps and a little wind and rain. He completed 18 of his first 20 passes and finished 29-of-36 for 375 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions.

It was a calm, cool and collected performance that featured a lot of throws to tight ends and running back Pierre Thomas -- but also a few to his receivers downfield as he completed at least four passes to five different guys.

And it was a far cry from last week's disaster at home against Carolina, when Brees forced an early interception in a 41-10 loss.

"I think we responded well as a team," Brees said when asked if he was harder on himself than usual after such a spectacular loss. "We were embarrassed about what happened last week. We know we're better than that and certainly felt a great sense of urgency going into this game just knowing what's at stake and knowing what a win would do for us -- not just in the standings, but from a confidence standpoint."

Mother Nature helped. A steady rain let up just around kickoff time, which allowed the Saints to pick on Chicago's porous pass defense.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Brees was one completion shy of the best start of his career (19-of-21 vs. Atlanta in 2009). And he's tied with Peyton Manning for the most 300-yard, three-TD games in NFL history (46).