Peyton Manning's Streak of 51 Straight Games with Passing TD Snapped vs. Bills

It had been over four years since Peyton Manning went a game without throwing a touchdown pass. His streak, which reached 51 games, ended Sunday after he failed to find the end zone in a 24-17 win over the Buffalo Bills at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver.    

The Denver Broncos quarterback was three TDs away from tying Drew Brees' record tally, according to Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network: 

Manning struggled throughout the game and finished 14-of-20 for 173 yards and two interceptions. Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk noted it was the first time since 2009 the 38-year-old threw for 200 yards or fewer in consecutive weeks:

NFL.com's Chris Wesseling added that the last two games haven't exactly gone Manning's way:

Manning commented on the record after the game via The Denver Post:

"

I've broken a lot of records and set a lot of records due to playing for a long time and playing well at times, but it's never been something that I've been about. So I don't need to break or set another record. It was important to get a win tonight. 

"

While he hasn't played great, part of the reason Manning's numbers are down is the emergence of C.J. Anderson. The 23-year-old rushed for 58 yards and three touchdowns against the Bills, following up on his 168-yard night against the Kansas City Chiefs last week.

Manning will obviously help dictate how far the Broncos go this year, but with Anderson continuing to run the ball so well, he won't have to shoulder as much of the burden. Taking some of the pressure off Manning will help as the regular season nears its conclusion. He should be fresher and sharper for the postseason than he would've been otherwise.

Plus, Manning is already going to be remembered as one of the best QBs of his generation. Setting a minor TD record wouldn't have added much to his legacy.