Willis McGahee, Denver Bronco’ top running back, will miss six to eight weeks with a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
McGahee, 31, suffered the injury in the early stages of the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers when he was tackled by defensive back Quentin Jammer. McGahee did not return to the game.
Before sustaining the injury he had seven carries for 55 yards and one catch for 18 yards.
The tackle by Jammer not only tore his MCL in his right knee, but he also fractured the bone in his lower right leg. McGahee will now be on crutches for the next month, with doctors advising him to keep any weight off his right leg, according to sources with ESPN.
The injuries suffered by McGahee will not require surgery, and he believes that he will be able to return to the field in four to six weeks, despite the team’s longer expectations that he will be sidelined.
Broncos coach John Fox confirmed McGahee’s injury on Monday afternoon and said the running back would not need to undergo surgery. But the team has yet to place McGahee on the injured reserve list.
“He’s a fast healer,” Fox said. “We wouldn’t want to prolong it that far.”
This is not the first time McGahee has torn his MCL. In Jan. 2003, while playing collegiate football for the Miami Hurricanes in Fiesta Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes, the star running back tore his anterior cruciate, posterior cruciate and MCL in his left knee.
McGahee eventually recovered after an extensive rehabilitation process. This recovery should not be so difficult,. but will not have to endure the same extensive rehab over.
The 31-year-old is the Broncos leading rusher with 167 carries for 731 yards and four rushing touchdowns.
The Broncos will now turn to Ronnie Hillman, Lance Ball and Knowshon Moreno to fill McGahee’s void Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.=
