Peyton Manning throws 51st TD pass of season, breaking Tom Brady's record

Peyton Manning's previous career-high was 49 passing touchdowns. (Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Peyton Manning has claimed yet another spot in the NFL's record book. With four touchdown passes Sunday in Houston, Manning surpassed Tom Brady's single-season TD record of 50, claiming the top spot for himself with one game left in the regular season. Manning also surpassed his previous career-high of 49 touchdowns, which stood as the record from 2004 until Brady broke it in '07.

The record-tying touchdown toss was far from a cheap one. After play-action and then a pump fake, Manning dropped a perfect rainbow pass in to Eric Decker, who managed to secure the ball and tiptoe his way along the sideline. It was Decker's 10th touchdown catch of the season.

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Manning then cemented his place in history with a 25-yarder to tight end Julius Thomas late in the fourth quarter. He was greeted by a swarm of congratulations from his teammates once he reached the sideline.

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Manning also could jump to the top of the single-season list for passing yards next week. He'll need 265 yards against the Raiders to tie Drew Brees there.

Denver entered Sunday needing 54 points as a team over two games to tie the same '07 Patriots for the most scored in a season: 589. They hung 37 on the Texans, meaning that they need just 18 in Week 17 to claim that team mark.

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