updated 6:41 p.m. ET Dec. 21, 2008

DETROIT - The Detroit Lions somberly dressed after another defeat that was different than all the others.

This one made NFL history and set the stage for a perfectly imperfect season.

Detroit became the first 0-15 team when it was routed 42-7 by the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

“Awful, embarrassing,” Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky said. “We stunk. Any bad adjective you can use, throw it in there.”

The Lions try to avoid the dubious distinction of finishing 0-16 at Green Bay, where they haven’t won since 1991.

“It’s very real,” center Dominic Raiola said. “It’s right there in front of us.

“It’s pretty sad that its come to this.”

Drew Brees threw for 351 yards and two touchdowns after four Saints ran for scores in the first half in their first game since they were eliminated from playoff contention.

New Orleans was so effective it went 11-for-11 on third down until kneeling on the last play of the game, tied a team record with 32 first downs, and didn’t punt.

Brees stayed in the game with a 35-point lead late in the fourth quarter to move closer to Dan Marino’s single-season record for yards passing.

“I thought we handled that part of it well in just handling the game the way we’re supposed to and that’s to win,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “These guys get paid to play.”

Brees needs 402 yards passing at home against Carolina to break Marino’s record of 5,084 set in 1984.

“I think we’re going do what it takes to win, first and foremost,” Brees said. “I’m trying not to think about it as much as possible. It’s hard to do because everybody wants to talk about it.”

New Orleans (8-7) played its first game since being eliminated from playoff contention.

“We’re playing for a lot,” Brees insisted. “We’re playing to finish the season the right way, with pride.”

It’s hard for the Lions to have any pride, especially at home.

Detroit broke NFL records by being outscored by a combined 176 points at home and by an average of 22 points. The 1981 Colts lost their home games by 146 points and the merged Steelers and Cardinals were defeated by an average of 21.4 points in 1944 with a depleted roster during World War II.

Video   Placing blame in Detroit Dec. 22: Coach Rod Marinelli accepts complete responsibility for the Lions' 0-15 record. NBC Sports

“This is one big nightmare,” Raiola said. “You want it to end, but it hasn’t ended yet.”

Fans got excited when the Lions finally fired team president Matt Millen following an 0-3 start and a 31-84 mark over seven-plus seasons, but the team hasn’t been able to overcome the mess he left behind.

After the game, the Lions released a statement in which team owner William Clay Ford said he expects interim general manager Martin Mayhew and executive vice president Tom Lewand to return next season.

The front office has about four months to figure out who it will take with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, a slot that was sealed Sunday.

Slideshow   NFL Week 16 Take a photographic look around the league in pictures, including Kurt Warner's bad day. more photos

The Lions were routed in their first four games, had a shot to win each of their next four, then showed flashes of competitiveness and extended periods of poor play.

Expansion Tampa Bay set the bar low for NFL futility in 1976, when it finished 0-14, and Detroit is a loss away from making the Buccaneers inaugural season look a little better.

“I think this would be a lot worse,” Raiola said.

Detroit seemed doomed early when Skyler Green returned the opening kickoff for 60 yards and Robert Meachem scored on a 20-yard end-around 2½ minutes into the game.

The Lions seemed to tie it on the ensuing drive, but a 52-yard pass to Calvin Johnson was negated because rookie offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus was called for a penalty — his second of the possession — because he wasn’t on the line of scrimmage.

MORE FROM NFL

NFL Section Front

Colts, Saints not about to lose now   PFTV: Can the Saints go 16-0 this season?   Video: Saints ‘trying to give back,’ Brees says   PFT: Sharper returns for Saints   PFT: Cribbs active for Browns, one week after injury   PFT: Winfield out for Vikings vs. Seahawks PFT: Saints’ Bush, Ellis out vs. Bucs PFT: Holmgren back to Seahawks in front office? Polamalu could miss three games PFT: Shanahan interested in Cowboys, Redskins, Texans? NFL Section Front   Add NFL headlines to your news reader: