"It looked like a bygone era of Indianapolis Colts football, when a drubbing like this wouldn't have been surprising. But it was 2011, and the Colts can only hope it isn't the new normal.

Without injured quarterback Peyton Manning, whose streak of 227 straight starts came to an end, the Colts lost the season opener, 34-7, at Houston.

The Colts trailed 34-0 at halftime. The debut of veteran Kerry Collins as Manning's replacement included two fumbles by the quarterback in the first quarter. Houston recovered both times and converted the turnovers into touchdowns.

"This wasn't the day, obviously, that we'd hoped for, but it's a long season," Collins said. "I don't care what the situation is, we just can't do those things and expect to have a chance to be in the ball game. We've got a lot to do obviously. We'll get back to work.""