Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning set a new U.S. National Football League record for career touchdown passes in the Broncos’ 42-17 rout of the visiting San Francisco 49ers Sunday night.

Manning’s short touchdown pass to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas late in the second quarter gave him 509 career touchdown passes, breaking the record held by Brett Favre, a future member of the NFL’s Hall of Fame.

Manning – himself assured to become a Hall of Famer – tied Favre’s record earlier in the game with a 39-yard pass to receiver Wes Welker.

His historic night comes just three years after being forced to miss the entire 2011 season after undergoing a series of surgeries to repair his injured neck that put his career in doubt.

The son of a former NFL quarterback, Archie, the 38-year-old Manning has been named most valuable player five times in his 16-year career; four of them while a member of the Indianapolis Colts.

He led the Colts to numerous appearances in the postseason, including a win in the 2007 Super Bowl against the Chicago Bears.

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