Peyton Manning breaks NFL record with 509th touchdown pass

The Denver Broncos’ Peyton Manning has made NFL history -- again.

With his third touchdown pass against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night, Manning reached the 509 mark for his storied career, breaking the record set by Brett Favre that he tied earlier in the game.

The record-breaking score came on third down and was an eight-yard pass to Demaryius Thomas in the front right corner of the end zone to give the Broncos a 21-3 lead, after the extra point. The Broncos went on to win the game, 42-17.

In an interview with NBC’s Bob Costas that aired during the pregame show, Manning praised retired Green Bay Packers legend Favre, who played his final seasons with the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings.

“All players would like to be able to say that they played with as much passion as Brett Favre,” Manning said. “I hope you can say that about me, but I’m not sure it does justice to Favre. ... There will never be anyone quite like him.”

Manning began the night with 506 touchdowns, then crept closer to the record with a three-yard scoring strike to Emmanuel Sanders in the first quarter.

The record-tying touchdown also came in the first quarter, on a throw to Wes Welker that the receiver turned into a 39-yard score.

After Manning and Favre, the all-time passing touchdown numbers drop off to 420 for Dan Marino, 374 for Drew Brees and 369 for Tom Brady.