


They also say a lot about what the Broncos' offense needs to address for 2013 if they are to be a Super Bowl contender.


Either the Denver offensive line couldn't get the play blocked, or their running backs couldn't break tackles. But the offense won't be all it needs to be until the Broncos can run the ball when they want to, especially in end-of-game situations or when they need a short conversion to keep a drive going.


The Broncos lost their best inside runner when Willis McGahee sustained a knee injury against San Diego. McGahee's backup, Knowshon Moreno, went down to a knee injury Saturday.


Ronnie Hillman converted his only third-and-1 chance with a 1-yard run, but the Broncos didn't convert a third-and-2 and didn't convert two third-and-1s when Jacob Hester, a player the team signed Nov. 26, carried the ball.One of those plays was wiped out by a Kuper penalty that pushed the Broncos back 10 yards.


Jeff Legwold: jlegwold@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jeff_legwold