Peyton Manning edged closer to Brett Favre on Sunday, throwing three touchdown passes in a 31-17 win over the free-falling New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Our takeaways:
- Peyton Manning was on cruise control here, throwing threemoretouchdowns without an interception. Manning now has 506 touchdown passes, leaving him just two behind Brett Favre for the NFL record. Manning has a good chance to move to No. 1 next week against the 49ers on Sunday Night Football. Manning seems to throw more ducks than ever, but he remains a master of ball placement and timing.
- A week after his benching in a shutout loss to the San Diego Chargers, Geno Smith threw twotouchdowns and kept the Jets competitive against an AFC superpower. Smith remains an underwhelming entity, however. He barely completed half his passes and averaged 4.4 yards per attempt on 42 throws. He's reticent to push the ball downfield and no longer looks to make plays with his legs. He looked lost on the Jets' final drive before throwing a game-icing pick six.
- Julius Thomas had two more touchdowns, giving him nine through five games. The tight end -- who yelled out "It's too easy!" after beating Calvin Pryor on his second score (he was absolutely correct) -- has the most touchdown receptions ever by a tight end through five games. With Manning under center, Thomas could conceivably challenge Randy Moss' all-time record of 23 receiving touchdowns. John Elway must wish he paid Thomas this summer.
- Dee Milliner is hurt again ... this time seriously. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported the Jets believe Milliner tore his Achilles tendon during a field-goal attempt in the first quarter, according to a source informed of Milliner's situation. In a season where the cornerback-poor Jets needed their former first-round pick to thrive, Milliner is staring at a lost season and an uncertain future.
- The Jets' offensive struggles are well-documented. Less has been made of a defense that has been incapable of making game-changing plays. The Jets have just three takeaways through six games. Coach Rex Ryan hasn't gotten impact play from his special teams, either, putting too much on Smith and the offense. In other words: The Jets' five-game losing streak has been a true team effort.
We recap all the Week 6 action on a jaunty edition of the "Around the NFL Podcast." Find more Around The NFL content on NFL Now.
