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 Manning had become the National Football League's all-time passing
yards leader early in the game, then was benched as he produced one
of the worst performances of his Hall of Fame carer.
The 39-year-old completed just 5-of-20 passes for 35 yards and four
interceptions and coach Gary Kubiak said after the game that he
probably should not have started his veteran quarterback.
"He came in Saturday and his ribs were bothering him a little bit. I
probably should have made the decision not to play him in the game,"
Kubiak told reporters. "I'm disappointed in myself."
Manning, who started the game three yards shy of the all-time mark
of 71,838 yards, broke the record after completing a four-yard pass
to Ronnie Hillman in the first quarter.
The game was briefly stopped to recognize the achievement and the
Broncos also showed a video tribute to the quarterback, who
acknowledged the ovation from the home crowd and tossed the Hall of
Fame-bound ball to the Denver sideline.
But the celebration was short-lived as Manning produced wobbly
inaccurate throws and the Broncos (7-2) lost their second successive
game.
Manning has just nine touchdowns and a league-high 17 interceptions
this season, a far cry from the numbers he has racked up as one of
the game's best quarterbacks.
He and Favre, who retired following the NFL's 2010 season, are the
only two quarterbacks to have thrown for more than 70,000 yards.
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Manning, who has led Denver to a Super Bowl berth and three division
titles since joining the team in 2012, already owns a slew of NFL
records.
His performance, however, meant he could not add another record to
the list. He needed a win to move ahead of Favre's 186 career
victories.
He spent the first 14 years of his career in Indianapolis, where he
tossed for 54,828 yards.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; additional reporting by
Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; editing by Justin Palmer/Greg
Stutchbury)
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