‘Sunday Night Football,’ 49ers vs. Broncos 2014: Peyton Manning takes aim at NFL record

Sunday Night Football will be appointment viewing this week with the Denver Broncos hosting the San Francisco 49ers, and Peyton Manning on the verge of setting the NFL's all-time passing touchdown mark. Manning needs to throw three more touchdown passes to surpass Brett Favre's record of 508 and etch his name yet again in the record books.

For the second straight season, the 49ers have rebounded from a 1-2 start and are currently on a three-game win streak entering their primetime matchup with the Broncos. All three wins have been in comeback fashion -- rallying from a 21-10 deficit to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 26-21 in Week 4, then erasing a 17-13 Kansas City Chiefs lead in a Week 5 victory, and finally coming back to beat the St. Louis Rams on Monday night after trailing 14-0 in the first quarter.

The Broncos are fresh off a 31-17 win over the New York Jets that was more of a struggle than it should have been. Denver is 4-1 on the year but continues to grind out wins, a far cry from the dominant 2013 team that won its first six games by an average of 18 points per game. The biggest takeaway from last Sunday was the revitalization of the Broncos' run game, which accounted for a season-high 138 rush yards on 33 carries, including the first career 100-yard rushing game by Ronnie Hillman.

Another obstacle facing Manning is the fact that he has struggled against San Francisco's physical defense in the past. The 49ers are one of two teams (also the Browns) that he has more interceptions (six) than touchdown passes (five) against, and his 81.8 passer rating in four games against San Francisco is his third-lowest against any team in his career. Manning is just 2-2 versus the 49ers, though he has yet to see them as a Bronco during the regular season.

Both of these teams likely won't be fazed by the primetime spotlight. This will be the third night game for the 49ers, who beat the Rams on Monday Night Football last week and lost to the Chicago Bears on Sunday night in Week 2. It's the second such game this season for the Broncos, who defeated the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football in their season opener. The 49ers have a league-best 10 primetime wins in the regular season since 2012, and the Broncos are just behind them, tied with the Seattle Seahawks for the second-most in that span with eight.

Julius Thomas - Thomas has emerged as Manning's favorite red zone target and there is a good chance that if Manning breaks the passing touchdown record on Sunday night, he will be the one celebrating with the ball in the end zone. Thomas has nine touchdown catches this season, matching the most by any player in NFL history through five games, a mark set by Calvin Johnson in 2011. Thomas' soft hands, combined with his ability to both catch passes in traffic and stretch the field on go routes, has made him one of Manning's most trusted receivers in Denver.

Colin Kaepernick - Kaepernick can take over games with both his arm and his legs, making him must-see TV on nearly every snap. His ability to scramble and make plays when the pocket breaks down is perhaps his defining trait as a quarterback. Kaepernick has the most rushing yards of any quarterback this season (242) and he also leads the NFL with six touchdown passes outside the pocket. The Broncos need to contain Kaepernick if they want to have any chance of beating the 49ers on Sunday.