Willis McGahee already sets career high for fumbles

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Immediately after Willis McGahee's second fumble late in Sunday's win at Carolina, the Broncos took him out for rookie Ronnie Hillman.

This doesn't mean McGahee is about to lose his job; they were up 29-14 at the time with less than five minutes remaining, so they were entering salt-the-game mode.

Nevertheless, the Broncos are concerned about McGahee's fumbling proclivity this season. His five fumbles and four lost are already career highs, and the Broncos' 12 lost fumbles overall—including two Sunday—are the second most in the league.

When wide receiver Demaryius Thomas lost fumbles in three consecutive games, Denver's coaches forced him to carry a special green football around team headquarters and to meetings and practices; he hasn't fumbled since.

A similar creative protocol likely awaits McGahee, who is still by far their best runner. Hillman has struggled between the tackles and there appears to be little trust in Knowshon Moreno, who's been inactive for seven consecutive games after fumbling in Week 2 at Atlanta.

Giveaways remain the potential fatal flaw in the Broncos' Super Bowl aspirations, as they have 11 in the last five games, including an average of 2.0 per game during a four-game winning streak against the Chargers, Saints, Bengals and Panthers.

They might have been able to get away with fumbles against the lesser teams, but they couldn't against the Falcons, Texans and Patriots in the first five weeks. Unless the Broncos find a remedy between now and January, their lofty hopes could crash shy of New Orleans with an ill-timed turnover or two.


(sportingnews.com)