Ronnie Hillman will get his second straight start at running back Sunday against the Colts. Coach Gary Kubiak said last week that Hillman deserved the role against Green Bay because of his performance in the previous five games.
Running back C.J. Anderson, who started the first five games of the season, is coming off his best game of the season.
Anderson had 14 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown. Hillman had 19 carries for 60 yards and two touchdowns.
“They both played very well,” offensive coordinator Rick Dennison said. “They are both are going to get their touches.”
Kubiak said he sees them both as starters and expects them to be split the snaps “right down the middle.”
Hillman was limited by a thigh bruise during Thursday’s practice. He suffered the injury in the second half of the Broncos win over Green Bay after a hard shot from a defender.
“He was kind of sore,” Kubiak said. “He took a pretty good shot and he played through it.”
Beware of the “dead egg”
DeMarcus Ware isn’t among those counting out Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.
“Some quarterbacks you can hit and they just go down. He doesn’t just go down,” Ware said. “Luck is the kind of guy it’s going to take two guys to take him down.”
Ware compared Luck, 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, to a running back with a mix of physicality and elusiveness the Broncos will have to take account for Sunday.
He also acknowledged the Colts’ urgency as a very dangerous trait. Indianapolis is 3-5, coming off the firing of their offensive coordinator Tuesday.
Most people expect the Broncos to win easily, and the team has finally gained some respect on a national level. But to Ware, that doesn’t change anything.
He said the defense made some lapses against Green Bay that the team needed to fix at practice before Sunday.
“Not let that dead egg, (that) is what we call it on our team, sort of eventually start stinking,” Ware said.
It’s hard to believe any team held the Packers to 140 yards of total offense and Aaron Rodgers to 77 passing yards. But according to Ware, there is still room to grow and correct mistakes.
Broncos injury report
Receiver Jordan Norwood returned to practice Thursday after the birth of his daughter, Franni, Wednesday. He’s still battling a hamstring injury that limited him to stretching on the sidelines.
Norwood suffered the injury Friday and was inactive for last Sunday’s game against Green Bay.
Outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett (toe) returned to practice on a limited basis Thursday. He said Wednesday someone “pushed against” it on a special teams play in the 3rd quarter of the Broncos win over the Packers.
Colts injury report
Receivers TY Hilton (foot) and Phillip Dorsett (ankle) missed practice for the second straight day.
Hilton is the Colts’ leading receiver. Coach Chuck Pagano said Wednesday that Hilton’s foot was being evaluated and his status for Sunday’s game was unknown at that time.
Dorsett’s injury kept him out the Colts’ loss to Carolina on Monday.
Linebacker Nate Irving (knee) was the only other Colt not to practice Thursday.
Cameron Wolfe: 303-954-1891, cwolfe@denverpost.com or @CameronWolfe
