Peyton Manning May Be out for 2011 Season: Texans Favorites in AFC South

Peyton Manning had another surgery on Sunday or Monday and could be out for the season according to rumors from an Indianapolis radio station, WNDE.  If that is the case, the Houston Texans should be considered the favorite to win the AFC South by a wide margin.

Jake Query (@jakequery) reported that Manning had a third procedure on either Sunday or Monday, according to sources he trusts, though not Manning himself.  This is something that has been speculated for at least a week, but it seemed unlikely due to the fact that he was only ruled out for the season opener today.

However, according to Colts owner Jim Irsay tweeted late Wednesday night that  “Peyton didn’t have a medical procedure last sunday,we’ll have more info 2 add clarity 2 situation soon”.  It seems a little odd that he specified on "sunday" rather than saying a third procedure which would have been more clear but for now it may be the safest bet to believe Irsay and not plan any divisional crown parties just yet.

If Query is right and Peyton is out for the season, the Texans have to feel very good about their ability to win the AFC South—a league that is driven by quarterbacks. 

The Texans would start the season with Matt Schaub, who has thrown for more than 9,000 yards in the past two seasons.  His competition at quarterback would be Kerry Collins, who has thrown for just over 3,000 yards, Luke McCown, who has thrown for 122 yards, and Matt Hasselbeck, who has thrown for just over 6,000 yards and has looked like an artifact for most of that time. 

According to those numbers, Hasselbeck is clearly the best competition for Schaub. But if you look back at last year, Hasselbeck led his team to the playoffs, but with a 7-9 record in the weakest division in the NFL, the NFC West.