Texans 34, Colts 7
Ben Tate proved to be a better injury replacement than Kerry Collins as the Houston Texans demolished the visiting Indianapolis Colts 34-7 on Sunday.
Tate, filling in for injured Texans Pro Bowl running back Arian Foster, rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown and Derrick Ward chipped in 39 yards and a score on the ground.
Collins, who became the first player to start a game at quarterback for the Colts other than Peyton Manning since Sept. 6, 1998, was sacked three times, lost two fumbles and could not get Indianapolis on the board until the fourth quarter.
Manning will miss significant time after undergoing neck surgery and had his streak of 227 consecutive starts come to an end.
The Texans, who signed a pair of marquee free agents for the defensive backfield and spent six of its first eight draft picks on that side of the ball, held the Colts to 236 total yards.
Houston scored all of its points in the first half, getting rushing scores from Tate and Ward in the first quarter and going up 24-0 in the second when Matt Schaub found Andre Johnson tiptoeing the back of the end zone for a 4-yard score.
Jacoby Jones capped the first-half barrage when he fielded a punt at the Texans’ 21-yard line and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown.