INDIANAPOLIS — The unthinkable suddenly seems possible for the Indianapolis Coltsopening the season without quarterback Peyton Manning.
The four-time league MVP, who has never missed a start in his NFL career, is doubtful for Sunday’s game at Houston because of lingering soreness in his back after offseason neck surgery. If Manning sits, it would be the first time the NFL’s active ironman missed a meaningful game after 227 consecutive starts including the playoffs.
“I hate it for Peyton,” said center Jeff Saturday, one of Manning’s closest friends. “You want him to be healthy, you want him to be back, but you want him to take care of it too.”
The question is whether the Colts can survive without their star, whose streak stands second in NFL history to Brett Favre’s among quarterbacks.
Colts officials have not said how much longer it could take Manning to recover, leaving that decision to Manning and his doctors.
The only time he missed a regular-season snap because of an injury, against Miami in 2001, backup Mark Rypien fumbled. The Dolphins recovered, then drove 59 yards for the winning points. Manning returned the next series with a bloody mouth. He was later diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his jaw.
