The Broncos will play the rest of the regular season without running back Willis McGahee.
McGahee, who suffered a knee injury on Sunday, is being placed on injured reserve, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports. McGahee suffered both a torn MCL and a fracture in his leg.
That means Ronnie Hillman, Lance Ball and Knowshon Moreno will split the running back duties for the rest of the year.
For Denver’s offense, the loss of McGahee is significant: He was averaging 4.4 yards a carry and had 731 yards this season, while Hillman, Ball and Moreno are all averaging less than four yards a carry and have totaled just 297 yards. McGahee is also a better receiver out of the backfield than any of the younger runners and the most reliable of the Broncos’ running backs in pass protection, so Denver will need one of those younger runners to step up his game, and do it quickly.
UPDATE 12:36 p.m. ET: McGahee has been placed on injured reserve with the return designation, meaning he could play in the AFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl.