Broncos - Chargers on Thursday Night Football

The NFL kicks off Week 8 on Thursday night when the DENVER BRONCOS (5-1) host the SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (5-2) at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver (CBS/NFLN, 8:25 PM ET). The Broncos and Chargers have met 10 times during the regular season since 2009, splitting the series with five wins apiece.

The Broncos head into Thursday night aiming for their fourth consecutive victory following a 42-17 win over San Francisco on Sunday Night Football. During the game, quarterback PEYTON MANNING passed for 318 yards and four touchdowns for a 157.2 passer rating. At the 3:09 mark of the second quarter, Manning threw his third touchdown of the game (eight yards to DEMARYIUS THOMAS), and the 509th of his career, surpassing BRETT FAVRE (508) for the most career touchdown passes in NFL history.

Red Zone TD efficiency a key to success

This week’s primetime Thursday Night Football game will feature two of the NFL’s most efficient teams in the red zone – Denver and San Diego.

The Broncos (5-1) and Chargers (5-2) have each scored points on their past 53 offensive trips inside the 20-yard line, tied for the longest active streak in the NFL.

Scoring points as often as possible is important in the red zone, but it’s touchdowns that can really make the difference. “It’s obviously important to get seven instead of three,” says NFL Network analyst and former scout Daniel Jeremiah. “When you’re getting touchdowns, it does a couple of things. Obviously you get the momentum in the football game. Also, expanding your lead and allowing the pass rush on the other side to really crank up. It’s huge.”

Peyton Manning conversation on Football Night in America

Peyton Manning spoke with Bob Costas on "Football Night in America".

Here are the highlights of Manning's conversations plus the rest of the topics discussed by Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, Mike Florio and Cris Collinsworth:

ON SEAHAWKS

Dungy: “The Seattle Seahawks are not invincible. They are 3-3 right now and they don’t look like the defending Super Bowl Champions.”

Collinsworth: “It’s possible that success is tearing this team apart more so than when they were trying to get to the Super Bowl.”

Harrison: “They have to get back to that cockiness that they had. They’re trying to be too perfect. They need to relax, start having fun and go back to the fundamentals.”

Russell Wilson leads NFL in merchandise sales

Quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks stands atop the NFL Players Inc. (NFLPI) Top 50 Player Sales list for the second fiscal quarter, representing total sales of all officially licensed products June 1 – August 31, 2014. Wilson reclaimed the retail crown from Johnny Manziel of the Cleveland Browns, who topped the list at the end of the first quarter.

Wilson’s overall sales numbers topped quarterbacks Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos (No. 2), Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers (No. 3), Tom Brady of the New England Patriots (No. 4) and Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers (No. 5). Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant (No. 6), Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (No. 7), New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (No. 8), Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (No. 9) and Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (No. 10) rounded out the top 10.