The 39-year-old completed just 5-of-20 passes for 35 yards and four interceptions and coach Gary Kubiak said after the game that he probably should not have started his veteran quarterback.

“He came in Saturday and his ribs were bothering him a little bit. I probably should have made the decision not to play him in the game,” Kubiak said. “I'm disappointed in myself.”

Manning, who started the game three yards shy of the all-time mark of 71,838 yards, broke the record after completing a four-yard pass to Ronnie Hillman in the first quarter.

The game was briefly stopped to recognise the achievement and the Broncos also showed a video tribute to the quarterback, who acknowledged the ovation from the home crowd and tossed the Hall of Fame-bound ball to the Denver sideline.

But the celebration was short-lived as Manning produced wobbly inaccurate throws and the Broncos (7-2) lost their second successive game.

“I thought I felt good enough to play,” Manning said after the worst performance of his career .

“Maybe it was a false feeling or a wrong feeling.

“By going out there and trying to help the team,” he lamented, “I ended up hurting the team.”

Manning has just nine touchdowns and a league-high 17 interceptions this season, a far cry from the numbers he has racked up as one of the game's best quarterbacks.

He and Favre, who retired following the NFL’s 2010 season, are the only two quarterbacks to have thrown for more than 70,000 yards.

Manning, who has led Denver to a Super Bowl berth and three division titles since joining the team in 2012, already owns a slew of NFL records.

His performance, however, meant he could not add another record to the list. He needed a win to move ahead of Favre’s 186 career victories.

He spent the first 14 years of his career in Indianapolis, where he tossed for 54,828 yards.

Meanwhile, the New England Patriots stretched their season-opening win streak to nine games as Stephen Gostkowski’s field goal with one second left lifted them to a 27-26 win over the New York Giants.