Peyton Manning Ties, Breaks Brett Favre's NFL Career Passing TD Record vs. 49ers

Future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning has broken Brett Favre's record for the most passing touchdowns in a career with 509.

In the second quarter, Manning officially broke the record with an eight-yard pass to Demaryius Thomas in the Denver Broncos' Week 7 Sunday Night Football encounter with the San Francisco 49ers: 

Manning would go on to lead the Broncos to an impressive 42-17 win thanks to 318 yards and four touchdowns through the air.

After the record breaking throw, Favre passed along his thoughts on Twitter:

He tied the record on a 39-yard touchdown connection to wideout Wes Welker in the first quarter:   

Manning is one of the greatest players in NFL history. Where he ranks among the greats likely depends on how each person takes postseason results into account—he's only captured one Super Bowl title—but the rest of his numbers solidify his place among the game's best.    

The Tennessee product has been named the league's Most Valuable Player five times, twice more than anybody else. He's also been selected to the Pro Bowl 13 times and earned a spot on the All-Pro first team on seven occasions.

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

He also holds numerous single-game, single-season and career passing marks. By the time he decides to walk away from the game, he will likely hold almost every major quarterbacking record. He's given no clear indication when he'll enter retirement, though.

Favre is happy to pass the torch to Manning. He told Arnie Stapleton of The Associated Press that he knows the family well and is pleased he's the one who gets to set the new standard.

"I'm glad it's Peyton that's doing it," Favre said. "I think a lot of Peyton. I know him well. I know his family well. His dad was one of my idols."

Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post passed along Manning's response after the Broncos quarterback learned of those comments. It's clear the feeling of admiration is mutual between the legendary signal-callers.

"Nobody's defined longevity, career toughness more than him," he said. "His consecutive start streak (297 games) is one of the most impressive things in all of sports. Eli might break it, but it just goes to show you how impressive of a record that is, how he always answered the bell every single Sunday and always produced."

Dario Cantatore/Associated Press

It's not the only mark he's managed to take from Favre recently. ESPN Stats & Info noted another touchdown record The Sheriff now holds:

While nobody can deny the talent of either Favre or Manning, their internal drive to fight through the pain to suit up every Sunday was essential on their road to the record books.

For the Louisiana native, the only diversion from that course came in 2011 when he missed the entire campaign due to a serious neck injury. In all of the seasons before and after that point, however, he's appeared in every game.

Perhaps more amazingly, he's returned to top form following the potentially career-ending ailment. He threw 55 touchdowns (another record) last season. His arm strength isn't what it once was, but his unmatched preparation helps him remain a massive headache for opposing defenses.

Among those to praise Manning is one of the best defensive minds in the game today, New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan. The NFL on ESPN provided his remarks:

He wasn't the first quarterback to run the offense from the line of scrimmage, using audibles to maximize each play's chances of success. He just perfected it.

As mentioned, Manning has set plenty of records throughout his career. The touchdown mark is one of the biggest, but he probably won't talk much about it. Not now, anyway. He'll turn the focus back to his teammates and the team's Super Bowl pursuit, as he's done in both Denver and Indianapolis.