Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning may not have been the main reason the Broncos emerged victorious over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday - a couple of key Jamaal Charles fumbles, one with less than a minute remaining, and a whole host of penalties can probably go ahead and take a bow - but he certainly quieted the critics, at least for one night. It was an evening wherein Manning looked very much like his old dominant self at times, but also showed glimpses of his limited capabilities at this point. He had a couple of iffy drives, especially early, and even tossed a fairly routine-looking pick-six to a player in Marcus Peters who is soon to be one of the best young corners in the game, a stark glimpse of ascending and descending stars. Still, it was a night that belonged to Manning, as he not only emerged victorious, but reached the 70,000-yard passing mark as well, making him only the second player in NFL history to summit that lofty peak.
At the completion of the Chiefs game, Manning had reached 70,122-yards, putting him about 1,700-yards away from Favre's record of 71,838. Manning's skills may be diminishing, but if he can stay relatively healthy this season, he can certainly reach and surpass No. 4. Favre was 41 when he eclipsed the mark. Manning is 39. It took Favre 293-career games. It took Manning only 258.
Manning reached the 70,000 mark on a third quarter, third-down pass to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. The Broncos offense kept rolling, so Manning didn't have much time to celebrate in-game and even afterward, in true Peyton fashion, Manning seemed more interested in talking about the big win for the Broncos.
"These are obviously great times to play football," Manning said, via ESPN. "To win a division game on the road, a great atmosphere, this place is always a great place to play football, and the crowd was rocking [Thursday], they were into it. ... Yeah, I think this is one that you always remember, certainly the way it ended."
To put the 70,000-yard mark into perspective, only one other quarterback has reached even 60,000-yards passing in his career. Dan Marino, former Miami Dolphins quarterback, finished his Hall of Fame career with 61,361-yards.
