The Broncos placed running back Willis McGahee on injured reserve, ending his season. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

The Denver Broncos placed leading rusher Willis McGahee on designated injured reserve Wednesday meaning McGahee will be able to practice in six weeks, reports FoxSports.com.

McGahee tore his medial collateral ligament in his right knee and also sustained a leg fracture. The original diagnosis had McGahee missing six to eight weeks with an outside shot to return if the Broncos made the playoffs.

McGahee was injured at the end of an eight-yard run in the second quarter of the Broncos’ 30-23 victory over the San Diego Chargers. Denver is 7-3, in first place in the AFC West and have a three-game division lead over the Chargers.

McGahee, 31, is under contract for $2.5 million next season and has rushed for 731 yards this season with four touchdowns. Denver has backups Ronnie Hillman and Lance Ball on the roster.

Broncos are putting Willis McGahee on IR, ending his season. Tough, tough blow—
Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) November 21, 2012

Broncos running back Willis McGahee will miss six-to-eight weeks with a leg fracture and torn MCL in his right knee. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Denver Broncos running back Willis McGahee has a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee and a leg fracture and will miss six to eight weeks, reports ESPN.com.

McGahee was injured at the end of an eight-yard run in the second quarter of the Broncos’ 30-23 victory over the San Diego Chargers. McGahee has not been placed on injured reserve. Players placed on injured reserve are not eligible for the postseason.

Denver is 7-3, in first place in the AFC West and have a three-game division lead over the Chargers.

McGahee, 31, is under contract for $2.5 million next season and has rushed for 731 yards this season with four touchdowns. Denver has backups Ronnie Hillman and Lance Ball on the roster.

New England not only team to take hit: @mortreport and I reporting Broncos RB Willis McGahee has a torn MCL, will miss six to eight weeks.—
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 19, 2012

Running back Willis McGahee thrived during Tim Tebow’s reign as the quarterback of the Denver Broncos — the revamped run-based offense led to plenty of carries for McGahee as the featured weapon in Tebow’s backfield. But McGahee is perfectly happy to see Tebow move on and Peyton Manning take over as the new shot-caller in Denver.

“Music to my ears, baby,” McGahee said in a radio interview, according to ProFootballTalk. “Music to my ears. I’m happy that he made a decision, he chose Denver. It’s a great place to play, and the fans are going to really embrace him when he comes in.”

McGahee had one of the best seasons of his career last year, running for 1,199 yards as an integral part of the Denver team that went 8-8 and won the AFC West. But McGahee isn’t at all opposed to a changing of the guard in Denver.

“He can really take us to another level,” McGahee said. “It was a certain something that we were missing. We were missing that general to take charge in tough situations, and I think [Manning] brings that to the table.”