DENVER – Peyton Manning gets the big, bold headlines from Sunday night's game, but the fine print should include that the Denver Broncos officially established themselves as the best team in the NFL at this point in the season.
What the Broncos did to the San Francisco 49ers, who have gone to the NFL's final four the past three years and were on a three-game winning streak, was shocking. Denver, behind Peyton Manning's 507th, (NFL record-tying) 508th, (NFL record-breaking) 509th and 510th career touchdown passes pummeled the 49ers 42-17. A meaningless touchdown with a minute to go is all that kept it from being the biggest loss of the Jim Harbaugh era in San Francisco.
The Dallas Cowboys have a good argument as the best team in football, considering they also have one loss and won at Seattle, which handed the Broncos their lone loss. But the way the Broncos are playing, nobody should be betting against them at this point. Everything is clicking at an incredibly high level for Denver.
Manning has picked up where he left off from last season, when he had the greatest season in NFL history. He didn't just inch over the finish line to get the record on Sunday, he turned in a phenomenal performance. He was 22-of-26 for 318 yards and four touchdowns. That's a 157.2 rating; a perfect rating is 158.3. Manning's third touchdown of the game, the record-breaker to Thomas, will be replayed more, but his next touchdown to Thomas was his best throw of the night. Manning had pinpoint accuracy on a 40-yard touchdown that made the score 28-10. Manning was so good, and the Broncos were so dominant, Manning was pulled and Brock Osweiler played the fourth quarter.
Denver's running game has gotten an unexpected boost from Ronnie Hillman, who has been a great find with Montee Ball out with a groin injury. He had a pair of touchdown runs, including a 37-yarder. And the defense looks the best it has been in Manning's three Denver seasons. The pass rush is excellent, with Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, and there's no clear weakness elsewhere.
Can the Broncos win the Super Bowl? Dismissing the predictable jokes about Manning in the playoffs, of course they can. A lot can happen over the next few months so nothing is guaranteed, but the Broncos are the class of the NFL right now. Ask the 49ers. San Francisco isn't bad, and it had no chance Sunday night.


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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab