Manning passes Favre to become NFL's all-time passing leader

Peyton Manning now sits alone at the top of the mountain.

Last week, Manning failed to break the record in the city where he made his mark as one of pro football's all-time greats, falling three yards short in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Instead, Denver was the setting for football history Sunday, as Manning surpassed Brett Favre's record and became the NFL's leader in career passing yards.

Manning broke the record on a four-yard pass to running back Ronnie Hillman.

The quarterback passed Favre's total of 71,838 yards.

Favre's record was set over 20 seasons, including an NFL-record 297 consecutive starts. Manning broke the record midway through just his 18th season, including a 2011 campaign in which he didn't play a game after neck surgery.

Here are the top ten play

Dan Marino is third on the all-time list, followed by Drew Brees.

The 36-year-old Brees entered Week 10 with 58,796 career passing yards and could have a shot at stealing the record from Manning if he plays another three or four seasons at a high level.

Tom Brady, 38, sits fifth on the list, about 3,000 yards behind Brees. If he plays another 10 years, as he's claimed he wants to, it's hard to imagine he won't retire atop the passing throne.