"Never fear, Broncos running game. Help, or some semblance of it, appears to be on the way.

Starting running back Knowshon Moreno practiced Wednesday for the first time since injuring his hamstring Sept. 23. Moreno missed the past two games, when the Broncos rushed for a total of only 66 yards — including 22 from quarterback Kyle Orton.

Moreno was limited in practice but took the first repetitions in individual drills in the early portion of practice that is open to the media.

There is no guarantee, of course, that Moreno's return — should he be cleared to play Sunday at Baltimore — would rescue the Denver running game. Moreno had 111 yards on 39 carries — an average of 2.8 yards per carry — in the Broncos' two games before his injury.

But coach Josh McDaniels said Wednesday his 2-2 team remains committed to revving the running game.

"I think you can play some games and kind of lean more toward the passing game than the running game, but I think over the long haul if you play a season like that you're going to ask for trouble down the road," he said. "You're going to get your quarterback killed, and you are certainly going to get played differently.""