Broncos: Willis McGahee out at least four weeks with torn MCL

Willis McGahee didn't return after injuring his knee in the second quarter Sunday and will be sidelined until the playoffs, if not longer. (US Presswire)

It wasn't the worst possible news the Broncos could have received -- but it wasn't good news, either.

RB Willis McGahee's MRI examination Monday revealed a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee. McGahee is expected to miss four to eight weeks -- more likely on the high end -- as a result of the injury, which was suffered early in the second quarter Sunday during a collision with San Diego CB Quentin Jammer.

NFL.com also reported that McGahee fractured his leg.

Broncos coach John Fox was expected to speak on the matter Monday afternoon.

The Broncos have the option of placing McGahee on recallable injured reserve, since they have yet to use that newly created designation this year.

Rookie backup Ronnie Hillman will see more carries as a result, but the Broncos may decide to lean on 2009 first-round pick Knowshon Moreno, who started in his first two seasons in the league before becoming McGahee's backup in 2011. Moreno spent the offseason rehabilitating from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered last November at Kansas City.

Moreno won the No. 2 RB job coming out of the preseason, and then lost it after fumbling at Atlanta in Week 2. But unlike Hillman, Moreno has experience as an every-down back running on the inside.

For up-to-the-minute Broncos updates, follow Andrew Mason on Twitter at @CBSBroncos.