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Peyton Manning Poised to Break Another Denver Broncos Club Record Against Dallas Cowboys

On Thanksgiving Day in 2005, QB Jake Plummer and the Denver Broncos rode an 8-2 record into Cowboys Stadium. Plummer was playing the best football of his career and for the first time in a long time, coach Mike Shanahan had the Broncos looking like legitimate contenders in the AFC. This Sunday, Peyton Manning and the Broncos travel to Dallas for the first time since. Manning is playing the best football of his career and the Broncos are looking not just like legitimate contenders in the AFC, but rather the team to beat in the NFL. What's so interesting about this Sunday's game is that there's a fantastic chance that Manning will make Broncos history in the exact same way that Jake Plummer set it back in 2005. Will history repeat itself?

By Jess Place
Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

For all this to make sense, we need to go waaaay back to September 18, 2005. In the third quarter on that day in Denver, San Diego DB Bhawoh Jue intercepted a Jake Plummer pass. For the next eight games and two quarters, "The Snake" wouldn't throw another interception. Plummer's streak, that spanned 229 pass attempts without an interception, came to an end while playing the Dallas Cowboys that fateful Thanksgiving Day. (For those of you wondering, the Broncos went on to win that game against the Cowboys in overtime thanks to an incredible run by Ron Dayne that set up the game winning Jason Elam field goal, 24-21.

So here we find ourselves today. Or rather, here we find ourselves last season. On Sunday, December 23, 2012 Broncos QB Peyton Manning was pressured into throwing a pass that sailed high into the air and was intercepted by Cleveland Browns DB Usama Young. That was the last time that Manning threw a regular season interception. In the five regular season games since, Manning has attempted 201 interception-free passes...

...and wouldn't you know it, Manning and the Broncos bring this streak into Dallas this Sunday.

While Plummer's streak set the Broncos club record in games prior, it was ended in Dallas. Could it be Manning's legacy to break Plummer's streak against the very team that ended it? Averaging 39 passes per game, just under 10 per quarter, Manning could beat Plummer's record of 229 passes sometime in the 3rd quarter this Sunday. It's is a very real possibility. If it happens, it will have taken Manning three fewer games to do it.

What about the NFL record?

In 2010, the New England Patriots QB Tom Brady set the NFL Record for passes without an interception at 335. It took him 11 games to do it. If Manning can keep his streak going, he projects to break Brady's record sometime in the third quarter on October, 27th in Denver against the Washington Redskins. It will have taken him only 9 games. It seems almost fitting that Mike Shanahan will be there to see it.. if it happens.

Fingers crossed.

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