DENVER — You blitz Peyton Manning at your peril.

The pressure-centric philosophy of Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles did not change when facing a quarterback who is arguably the best at making quick reads and getting the ball out in less than two seconds.

The result was one of Manning’s most prolific days: a four-touchdown and career-best 479-yard output in the Broncos’ 41-20 rout of the previously undefeated Cardinals. Manning shredded Arizona’s defense at all ranges, and although he was pressured into a sack and two interceptions, he kept firing.

But it was a day that Manning will remember for more than just his output. His first touchdown pass, a 7-yarder to tight end Julius Thomas, was the 500th of his career. Brett Favre is the only other quarterback to hit that milestone, and Manning got there in 49 fewer games. Favre’s NFL record of 508 touchdowns is now five scores away.

Although Manning acknowledged the significance of the moment, he downplayed it as it happened.

“Peyton doesn’t have any expressions. He went right back into the book, looking to see what he can do to improve, to continuously score points,” said wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

Although the offense had some hiccups, Sunday’s performance was the closest it has come to its dominant form of 2013. That was due to the emergence of wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who shook off a subpar September by catching eight passes for a Broncos-record 226 yards, including an 86-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter that was the team’s longest offensive touchdown in five years.

Thomas attributed his return to form to the work he did during the bye week, which allowed him to overcome the four drops he endured in Weeks 1-3.

“Before we went on bye week, I came in one Monday before everybody and caught, like, 250 balls,” he said. “Every game I had drops — and not like I am used to that — so I came in and caught balls. Throughout the week once we got back to practice, I tried to do a little more than what I usually do.”

That helped Manning exploit the blitz. Thomas beat Antonio Cromartie repeatedly, and the two elevated the offense back to its potential after an inconsistent first month.

REPORT CARD VS. CARDINALS

PASSING OFFENSE: A-minus — Peyton Manning threw his first two interceptions of the 2014 season, including one that came on a screen pass that defensive end Calais Campbell read perfectly. But he exploited the Cardinals’ press-man coverage for a career-high 479 yards, 226 going to receiver Demaryius Thomas, who broke out of his three-game funk with a Broncos-record haul in receiving yardage.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B-minus — In the first half, the Broncos’ ground game was so tepid that fans booed after one play when running back Montee Ball faced four defenders in the backfield as he received a handoff from Peyton Manning. Ball was injured in the second half — one play after a 5-yard gain — but the ground game got going with Ronnie Hillman picking up 64 yards on 15 carries and Juwan Thompson adding 15 yards on three carries. But the Broncos benefitted from the injury to Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell; before his injury, they averaged 0.6 yards per rush.

PASS DEFENSE: B-plus — The Broncos were aided by seven Cardinals drops and the absence of quarterback Drew Stanton for most of the second half, which left rookie Logan Thomas in to face the Broncos’ effective pass rush. But even with Stanton at the controls, the Broncos neutralized the Cardinals’ deep passing game, allowing just one completion of longer than 20 yards during the first half. Arizona gained 178 yards on 37 pass plays — 81 of which came on a single pass from Thomas to running back Andre Ellington.

RUSH DEFENSE: A — Running back Andre Ellington entered the game averaging 4.5 yards per rush, but was bottled up by a unit that benefitted from the return of linebacker Danny Trevathan from a tibial fracture, averaging just 2.0 yards per carry. None of the Cardinals’ runs gained more than six yards, and the run defense prevented Arizona from any semblance of a consistent attack.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B — Brandon McManus hit two of three field-goal attempts, missing from 53 yards, and sent all of his kickoffs through the end zone for touchbacks. Britton Colquitt amassed a 48-yard net average on four punts and kept Ted Ginn Jr. from being a factor. But the most promising day of all was from punt returner Isaiah Burse, who had a 37-yard return wiped out because of offsetting penalties, but showed burst and agility in averaging 6.3 yards per return.

COACHING: B-plus — The Broncos exploited the Cardinals’ blitz effectively with an offense that racked up more passing yardage than any Denver team has since 2004. Defensively, the Broncos did not let Arizona get comfortable, and their emphasis on attacking with edge pressure and aggressive coverage had a hand in the Cardinals’ unsettled play.