Written by John Edward BetancourtYou could feel it last night. You could just tell from either something in your gut or the electricity in the air that something incredibly special was about to happen at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Whether you were in attendance at the stadium or watching it on television you could feel it, Peyton Manning was going to shatter Brett Favre's career touchdown record. Heading into last night Peyton Manning, a quarterback that some wondered would ever play the game again, stepped onto the field with 506 career touchdowns, two away from the record and three away from breaking it. He spent all week talking about how the record wasn't important, the game at hand was what mattered and at first it seemed like business as usual. The Broncos marched down the field as they often do and Manning sent a touchdown pass into Emmanuel Sanders waiting hands, the first of the season for Sanders and number 507 for Manning. Suddenly, the reality of it came to pass, the crowd became all that more electric and the wait was on. Suddenly we forgot about what Peyton said about how the game at hand mattered, we wanted to see history. I no longer cared what the hell the Niners were doing on offense or defense, I just waited with baited breath to see the record fall and as Wes Welker dove into the end zone to tie the record at 508, you knew the moment was almost at hand. Yet, the universe knows a good story when it sees one and rather than supply us with a quick and easy touchdown for Peyton, the tension continued to build. The Broncos didn't get back into the end zone as quickly or as easily at first. There was a three and out and some other football mixed inbetween, none of it mattered really, because history was so close now and as Peyton and the Broncos returned to the red zone, you knew this was it, but the story still needed just a little more tension. The first ball sailed toward Emmanuel Sanders once again, but a penalty kept it from entering his hands in what would have been the big one. Next Julius Thomas let the record setting ball fall from his hands. Then the Broncos lined up for the run and for a brief moment it seemed like we would have to wait after all, despite what our gut told us, but some mixed up feet sent Manning to the ground and then...it happened. A toss to Demariyus Thomas, a pair of feet in the end zone and the ball in his hands. The crowd erupted, as did fans everywhere. Touchdown, Denver. Five Hundred and Nine. I've seen a lot of football in my days, seen records come and records go, but none will ever be as magical as this one. The normally all business on the field Peyton Manning erupted into smiles as the touchdown was confirmed. His teammates even pranked the man, playing keep away with that historic ball. It was pure joy on that field and in the stands and while this record will fall someday, it will be a long time before it does. For it will take a quarterback as prolific as Manning to break it. Regardless, I've seen more records fall with Manning in Denver than I have in a lifetime of watching football and it speaks to his love of the game. For a few years ago, a quarterback, facing the potential end of his career, seeing the team that drafted him let him go, refused to believe he was finished. He left Indianapolis with 399 career touchdowns and walked out of Sports Authority Field with 510 and the knowledge that he continues to cement his legacy as one of the greatest to ever play the game.
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