Two years ago, Saints quarterback Drew Brees surpassed the longstanding streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass. Far more amazing than the record of 47 straight games with at least one touchdown pass was the fact that John Unitas held it for so long, from late 1960 through 2012.
Since then, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady also has passed the Unitas mark, falling two games short of Brees’ 54-game record.
On Sunday, Peyton passed Unitas, too, extending Manning’s streak to 48. If he continues to throw at least one touchdown pass in every game for the rest of the season, Manning will tie Brees’ record in Week 16 against the Bengals, and he’ll break it the next week against the Raiders.
Coincidentally, the Bengals stopped Brady’s run at 52 in 2013. They’ll possibly have a chance to end Peyton’s at 53.
The string began in late 2010, when Manning was with the Colts. After missing all of 2011 due to multiple neck surgeries, Peyton picked up where he left off in 2012, and he hasn’t looked back.
Manning’s streak also includes a record run of games with multiple touchdown passes. It’s 15, and counting.