EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Quarterback Peyton Manning recovered from a slow start Sunday, when he threw three touchdown passes to inch closer to Brett Favre’s career record as the Denver Broncos survived a scare to beat the New York Jets 31-17 at MetLife Stadium.

Manning finished 22 of 33 for 237 yards. His touchdown tosses — a 1-yarder to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and a 22-yarder and a 4-yarder to tight end Julius Thomas — gave him 506 for his career, two shy of Favre’s mark. Manning will get his next chance to break the record next Sunday, when the Broncos host the San Francisco 49ers.

With their second straight win, the Broncos (4-1) ensured they would at least remain within a half-game of the San Diego Chargers in the AFC West. The Chargers faced the Raiders later Sunday.

Running back Ronnie Hillman had 100 yards on 24 carries.

Quarterback Geno Smith — one week removed from being benched at halftime of a 31-0 loss to the Chargers — likely bought himself some job security by going 23 of 43 for 190 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Jets (1-5), who have lost five in a row, their longest losing streak since a six-game skid in 2007.

For most of the first half Sunday, the Jets appeared primed to pull the upset. Manning began the day with a 54-yard completion to a wide-open Demaryius Thomas, but the Jets stiffened and forced the Broncos to settle for a 37-yard field goal by Brandon McManus.

The Broncos got just two first downs on their next four possessions as the Jets continually harassed Manning, who was sacked twice, bounced several passes short of his intended target and even had a shotgun snap bounce off his hip.

The latter miscue evoked memories of his poor performance for the Broncos against the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium in February, when the first snap of the game sailed past Manning for a safety and set the tone for the Broncos’ 43-8 loss.

But Manning finally began to get into a rhythm midway through the second quarter, when he directed a 10-play, 43-yard drive that he ended with the touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas that gave the Broncos a 10-7 lead.

The Broncos extended the lead to 17-7 in the final minute of the half, when Manning capped a nine-play, 80-yard drive with his first touchdown pass to Julius Thomas.

The Jets opened the second half with a three-and-out, after which the Broncos marched 87 yards in 10 plays and took a 24-7 lead on Manning’s second touchdown pass to Julius Thomas.

The Jets closed within 24-10 on kicker Nick Folk’s 30-yard field goal with 40 seconds left in the third. Smith capped the Jets’ next possession by throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to former Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker.

The teams traded three-and-outs before the Broncos ate up four minutes by recording a pair of first downs on a drive that ended with punter Britton Colquitt pinning the Jets at their own 5-yard line with 56 seconds left. Smith was nearly picked off on first down, sacked just in front of the end zone on second down and intercepted on third down by cornerback Aqib Talib, who returned it 22 yards for a touchdown.

NOTES: Oft-injured Jets CB Dee Milliner suffered an ankle injury during the Broncos’ first field-goal attempt. Milliner, who went down without contact, had to be helped off the field and was almost immediately declared out by the Jets. … Prior to Sunday, the Jets hadn’t hosted the Broncos since Nov. 30, 2008, when the Jets still played at the Meadowlands. The only AFC team the Jets have not played at 5-year-old MetLife Stadium is the Tennessee Titans. … Broncos LB Danny Trevathan suffered a knee injury 2:59 into the game and was declared out later in the first. … Broncos LB Von Miller was evaluated for a possible concussion late in the first half but returned to start the third quarter.