Just in case the Colts didn’t realize how valuable Peyton Manning was over the last 13 years, Sunday’s humbling loss to the Texans hammered the point home.
It begs the question: Do the Colts have any shot to win games without Manning and is there any realistic chance Manning saves this season?
Let’s tackle the second question first.
“With these things, you never know the time frame,” owner Jim Irsay told the Indianapolis Star. “There’s a broad range of two to six months.”
It sounds like the Colts will keep a roster spot open for as long as possible.
“There are restraints on the roster when you start getting a lot of guys banged up,” Irsay said. “You take it a week at a time and in a three-month period he may be really getting down the road to being able to practice.”
A Colts fan searching for signs of hope in the meantime can look to the schedule. The AFC South is weak after Houston, who the Colts don’t play again until Week 16. Indianapolis faces the Browns, Bengals, Panthers, and Chiefs before Week 13.
We learned Sunday the Colts can’t compete on the road against a quality opponent. We’ll see if they can compete against anyone.