Indianapolis ? Colts quarterback Peyton Manning would rather talk about anything but himself. That isn’t going to happen this week.

As Manning was peppered Wednesday with questions about his chase after Dan Marino’s record 48 touchdown passes in a season, he tried to steer the attention toward other issues — his receivers, his offensive line, the Colts’ chance to clinch the AFC South on Sunday at Houston.

“The opportunity I’m thinking about is to go down to Houston and get a win and get into the playoffs,” he said.

For two decades, Marino’s record of 48 TD passes has stood as the sport’s crowning achievement, football’s version of the home run record. Many considered the record untouchable until Manning, last year’s co-MVP, began to deliver what could go down as the greatest season a quarterback has ever had.

Manning already has thrown 44 touchdowns and owns a quarterback rating of 126.3. The NFL record is Steve Young’s 112.8.

He’s thrown for five or more touchdowns in a game a league record five times this season. With two TD passes Sunday, Manning also would break John Unitas’ 45-year-old NFL mark by throwing for at least two touchdowns in a record 13 straight games to open a season.

If he maintains his 68.1 completion percentage, it would be the third straight year Manning has broken the Colts’ franchise record.

But it’s Marino’s record that has dominated the talk.

“I think he’s looking forward to getting it behind him and moving on,” wide receiver Brandon Stokley said. “It gets old after awhile, more so for him than for me.”

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning watches from the bench during a game against Tennessee. Manning led the Colts past the Titans on Sunday in Indianapolis and moved within four touchdown passes of tying Dan Marino's single-season record of 48.

It’s clear Manning’s historic chase is taking a toll.

He rarely smiled Wednesday, and his words didn’t seem to include the usual crispness or emphasis of the typically unflappable Manning.

The biggest challenge this week may be dealing with the attention.

Yes, Manning grew up in a football family — his father, Archie, played for three NFL teams, and his brother, Eli, is starting for the New York Giants — and has often been the featured attraction whether the race is for the Heisman Trophy or MVP, a national championship or a Super Bowl.

But this time has been different. In recent weeks, television networks have been tracking Manning’s record pace, and each week the questions come more frequently and become more pointed.

Marino said during a conference call Wednesday he didn’t endure the same scrutiny in 1984 when he was pursuing George Blanda’s NFL record (36).

“It was totally different,” Marino said. “I remember it not being much till I got close to Blanda. When it was a couple weeks away, Harvey Greene, the Dolphins’ P.R. guy, came up to me and said I had chance to break it.”

Manning has found some outlets.

This week, in the midst of rewriting history and on the verge of wrapping up a second straight division title, Manning took a break from his football routine Monday night to spend nearly four hours at his third annual holiday celebration for 1,100 disadvantaged children in Indianapolis. Manning mingled with the kids and their parents, signed autographs, even sitting on Santa’s lap.

He relaxed, joked around and appeared to be genuinely enjoying one of the rare moments he didn’t have to answer questions about Marino’s mark.

“Nobody’s ever too big to sit on Santa’s lap,” Manning said.