National Football League

Manning to miss chunk of season

Published Sep. 8, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning underwent a third surgery on his injured neck Thursday morning, FOXSports.com's Jay Glazer has confirmed.

Manning underwent surgery to fuse the C-2 and C-3 vertebrae in his neck, and is expected to miss at least two to three months.

The Colts will not place him on injured reserve, according to Glazer.

The Colts confirmed the surgery had taken place but offered no timetable for the superstar's return.

"As previously stated on Monday, Sept. 5th, Peyton Manning has undergone further testing and consultation with several specialists regarding his rehabilitation," the team said in a statement.

"The results of these tests and the consensus of the consultations was that further surgery was warranted. Peyton has undergone this surgery today by having a single level anterior fusion. The surgery was uneventful."

As Glazer first reported, Manning was expected to undergo the procedure hours after Colts owner Jim Irsay implied on Twitter that Manning, a four-time MVP, would be out much longer than just Week 1.

The star quarterback had already been ruled out of Sunday's opener against the Houston Texans because of continuing soreness after offseason neck surgery, but there was rampant speculation in recent days that another procedure would be required.

Manning, 35, underwent two surgeries on his neck in a 15-month span. A procedure in late May was meant to repair a nerve problem, while his previous surgery in March 2010 was performed to remove a buildup of calcium.

He returned to practice last week in preparation for the season opener, only to be forced back to the sidelines.

Sunday will mark the first time the Colts will start a regular-season game without Manning under center since he was drafted with the first overall pick in 1998. Veteran Kerry Collins, who was signed out of retirement just a few weeks ago, will start in Manning's place.

Manning's streak of 208 consecutive regular-season starts, second only to Brett Favre's NFL-record streak of 297, will also come to an end.

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