This was one ball Peyton Manning wanted in his grasp.

Comically, his teammates initially wouldn’t give it to him. And then he agreed to give it away, anyhow.

Manning’s receivers played keep-away with his milestone memento, and the NFL’s new leader in career touchdown passes toyed with the San Francisco 49ers in the Denver Broncos’ 42-17 romp Sunday night.

Manning went into the showdown two TDs shy of Brett Favre’s record of 508 and threw four touchdown passes, giving him 510. He surpassed Favre’s mark with an 8-yard strike to Demaryius Thomas late in the second quarter. As he went to retrieve the football, his teammates decided to have some fun.

Thomas tossed the historic ball over Manning and to Emmanuel Sanders, who then lobbed it to Wes Welker. From there, Welker dished it back to Sanders, who then flipped it to Julius Thomas — all of Manning’s favorite targets getting into the act.

“I heard whispers about something,” Manning said. “Those guys are all great athletes, and my vertical leap isn’t what it used to be.

“I haven’t played keep-away since I was 8 years old. That is something I will always remember.”

Finally, Manning got the ball along with congratulations from his teammates and coaches.

The souvenir won’t end up on Manning’s mantle, however — it’s headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Manning needed just four drives Sunday night to break the record. He threw a 3-yard TD pass to Sanders on Denver’s first drive and tied the record when Welker took a pass over the middle for 39 yards. His final TD of the night was a 40-yarder to Thomas, giving him 510.

Manning reached the milestone in his 246th regular-season game. Favre needed 302.

Rams 28, Seahawks 26At St. Louis, special teams trickery was decisive for the Rams (2-4).Punter Johnny Hekker’s pass from the St. Louis 18 caught the Seahawks by surprise for the last of three big plays by those special teams.Stedman Bailey had a 90-yard touchdown on a trick return that fooled the Seahawks into thinking another player was going to catch the punt. Benny Cunningham’s 75-yard kickoff return set up an early touchdown for the Rams.

Packers 38, Panthers 17Aaron Rodgers threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns, and Randall Cobb torched the Carolina secondary for 121 yards on receptions.Sure-tackling Green Bay (5-2) limited quarterback Cam Newton in the first half. The host Packers scored touchdowns on their first three series and led 28-3 at halftime.

Chiefs 23, Chargers 20At San Diego, Cairo Santos kicked a 48-yard field goal with 21 seconds left, and the Chiefs snapped the Chargers’ five-game winning streak.The Chiefs moved into field goal range thanks to Alex Smith, who completed three straight passes for 43 yards, including a 29-yarder to Dwayne Bowe.

Jaguars 24, Browns 6Denard Robinson ran for a career-high 127 yards and a touchdown, Jacksonville’s defense came up big in the red zone, and the Jaguars snapped a nine-game losing streak.Jacksonville (1-6) won for the first time since beating Houston on Dec. 15, 2013.

Cowboys 31, Giants 21DeMarco Murray broke Jim Brown’s 56-year-old NFL record with his seventh straight 100-yard rushing game to start a season. The host Cowboys (6-1) won their sixth straight.Tony Romo threw three touchdown passes, and had a fourth scoring pass overturned on replay. Instead, Murray wound up with his seventh TD rushing on a 1-yard plunge.

Cardinals 24, Raiders 13Carson Palmer threw two touchdown passes in his return to Oakland to send the Raiders to their 12th straight loss, six this season.Stepfan Taylor caught one touchdown pass and ran for another, and Andre Ellington gained 160 yards from scrimmage for the Cardinals (5-1), who are off to their best start since 1976.

Lions 24, Saints 23At Detroit, the Saints blew another road game in the final moments.Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes in the final 3:38, including the winner to Corey Fuller with 1:48 remaining.The Saints (2-4) were in control late in the fourth quarter when Stafford found Golden Tate for a 73-yard catch-and-run that made it 23-17. Then, Drew Brees was intercepted on third down by Glover Quin, whose 23-yard return gave the Lions (5-2) the ball at the New Orleans 14.

Colts 27, Bengals 0At Indianapolis, Andrew Luck threw two touchdown passes, and the Colts’ defense dominated Cincinnati. Indy churned out 506 yards.Luck was 27 of 42 for 344 yards as Indianapolis (5-2) won its fifth straight. It was Indy’s first shutout since December 2008 and the 500th victory in franchise history.

Ravens 27, Falcons 7At Baltimore, Elvis Dumervil and Pernell McPhee each had two sacks, part of a dominant defensive performance. Baltimore (5-2) led 17-0 at halftime and coasted to its second straight blowout win. The Ravens beat Tampa Bay 48-17 last week.

Dolphins 27, Bears 14At Chicago, the Bears (3-4) remained winless in three home games this season and have dropped five of their last seven at Soldier Field. Matt Forte scored two touchdowns and Jeremiah Ratliff finished with a career-best 3 1/2 sacks.

Redskins 19, Titans 17Kai Forbath’s 22-yard field goal on the last play won it for the host Redskins.Colt McCoy completed 11 of 12 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown in his first meaningful role in a win since Nov. 20, 2011. He came on in the second half after Kirk Cousins was benched.

Bills 17, Vikings 16The Bills gave their hometown fans a last-second thrill — literally. Kyle Orton hit rookie Sammy Watkins on a 2-yard touchdown pass with 1 second remaining. That capped a 15-play, 80-yard drive which Orton extended by converting a fourth-and-20.Orton overcame an interception, a lost fumble and six sacks to finish 31 of 43 for 283 yards.