Who would have thought any quarterback for the Denver Broncos could ever measure up to the Hall of Fame great, John Elway? After all – it was Elway that led the Broncos to two Superbowl wins. They won Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII in their 1997 and 1998 seasons.
But it looks as if the Broncos have scored, big, with Peyton Manning.
Not only have the Bronco’s clinched their playoff birth at the top of the AFC West – they’ve broken some other records as well. But, the important highlight of the day against the Texans – was Peyton topping Tom Brady’s former single-season record of 50 touchdown passes, set in 2007. Tom Brady is the quarter back for New England Patriots.
Although Manning had previously established the record by throwing 49 TD passes in 2004, he’s gotten back on top again. Manning did it on a 25-yard pass to Julius Thomas with only 4:28 remaining. Just 2½ minutes earlier, he tied the mark with a 20-yard pass to Eric Decker.
The Broncos already had a spot in the playoffs, but their victory today against The Houston Texans, combined with Kansas City’s loss to Indianapolis, gave them the division crown. They could secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs if New England doesn’t win its late game at Baltimore.
Manning made the record-setting throw to Thomas and walked toward the end zone, where his teammates celebrated the record-breaking victory with him.
Decker got the ball after the touchdown and tucked it in the side of his jersey, where it remained as he walked off the field. Manning will keep that record-breaking football.
Today was a great game for Manning with 296 passing yards in the first half, and the record-setting performance tops an excellent season for Manning. The big question facing him, and the Denver Bronco fans now is whether he can also win his second Super Bowl ring, perhaps this season?
Image via YouTube