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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- **It took Peyton Manning just the first half of the Broncos' 34-14 win over the Raiders on Sunday to make NFL history, and the quarterback has once again earned a FedEx Air Player of the Week nomination for his record-setting performance.
Manning eclipsed Drew Brees' single-season passing record by throwing for 266 yards against the Raiders at O.co Coliseum on Sunday, all in the game's first half, bringing his passing total to an all-time best 5,477 yards for the 2013 regular season.
The record-breaking throw came on a 5-yard touchdown pass – one of four that Manning threw in the first half – to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas with 13 seconds to play in the second quarter, giving the Broncos a 31-0 lead.
It marked the final snap of Manning's historic 2013 regular-season campaign that also saw the quarterback set an NFL record for single-season passing touchdowns with 55.
"It is always rewarding when you put hard work in and you can reap those benefits with winning games, a two-minute touchdown drive, a fourth-down conversion, whatever that may be," Manning said after the game. "It makes you feel like it was worth putting that work and sacrifice in. I definitely feel like a lot of players feel that way through all that has occurred this season."
Earlier this season against the Raiders – in a Week 3 performance that also won Manning FedEx Air Player of the Week honors – the quarterback completed 32-of-37 passes for 374 yards and three touchdowns, good for a completion percentage of 86.5 percent.
On Sunday, he was even better.
Manning completed 25-of-28 passes – a career-best 89.5 percent completion mark – and posted a 145.8 quarterback rating that was just-shy of his season-high mark of 146.0, which he recorded in a 52-20 win over the Eagles in Week 4.
Manning has won the FedEx Air Player of the Week four other times this season.
The quarterback won the award after his record-tying seven-touchdown performance against the Ravens in Week 1, the aforementioned performance against the Raiders in Week 3, a 403-yard, five-touchdown performance at Kansas City in Week 13 and a 400-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Texans in Week 16 in which Manning set the NFL's single-season record for passing touchdowns.
"I'm going to remember this when I'm old," Thomas said of catching Manning's record-setting pass. "This is great."
To cast your vote for Manning, www.nfl.com/fedex and let your voice be heard.
