NFL chatter: Some records aren't made to be broken

Fran Tarkenton held the NFL record for passing touchdowns for a league-record 24 years before Dan Marino threw his 343rd in 1995.

Marino held it for 12 years before Brett Favre threw his 421st in 2007.

Favre held it for seven years until Peyton Manning threw his 509th on Sunday.

Naturally, the discussion now has moved to whether anyone will ever break Manning's record. At 38, he also shows no signs of decline.

For gosh sakes, the guy just threw six TDs in five days and sits at 513.

Manning losing that record might not seem possible at the moment, although Drew Brees is three years younger and on a similar pace with 374.

But the way the NFL is going, don't bet against that record falling.

With that in mind, here are three records we think will never fall:

Most consecutive starts for a quarterback: 297 by Favre. It is the record for all positions as well. Certainly no quarterback will ever get close. Even when Peyton Manning's streak ended in 2011, it still was 89 short.

Most consecutive games without a win: 26 by the expansion Buccaneers from 1976-77. Next in line? The Chicago Cardinals (1942-43, 1945) at 19.

Most wins by a head coach: 347, Don Shula. For perspective, Bill Belichick is the active leader at 204. Even at 10 wins a season, he'd need to go about 15 more years.

THIRD-AND-2

Three observations

• Four of Baltimore's five wins have been by 20 points or more. The Ravens are a league-high plus-89 in point differential.

• There are 13 teams with a losing record. The Raiders (0-6) have only one game remaining against a team that currently has a losing record.

• There are 14 teams with a winning record. The Lions and Packers, both 5-2, have three and four games (respectively) left against teams that currently have winning records.

Two predictions

• The Packers, a league-best plus-10 in turnover differential, will lose to the Saints, who are 29th at minus-8.

• DeMarco Murray will exit Week 8 with 217 carries after a 30-carry effort against Washington. The single-season record is 416 by Larry Johnson in 2006.

MARK CRAIG