Hillman On Steelers Matchup: 'I Expect It To Get A Little Rough'

DENVER (CBS4) - Many Broncos fans were watching Saturday night's playoff game between the Bengals and the Steelers with extreme interest -- the outcome would determine who the Broncos would play, after all -- but running back Ronnie Hillman missed the majority of the second half.

"I fell asleep at about halftime," Hillman said with a laugh. "I woke up at the end so I didn't get to go through that whole back-and-forth thing."

Hillman said on Xfinity Monday Live he was watching the game at home on the couch. "But I got to watch the end of it. It was a crazy ending."

The Broncos now know they are facing the Steelers on Sunday afternoon, and Hillman should be very well rested after his team's opening round bye (and his Saturday evening nap). Hillman said the Broncos are aiming to put points on the board quickly in the game, and they aren't going to shy away from hard hits against a team that just secured a win in very physical fashion.

"It's a playoff game, and this is do or die. I expect it to get a little rough in there," Hillman said.

Hillman said in preparation for Sunday the Broncos are reviewing what went wrong in their Week 15 loss in Pittsburgh.

"We've got to correct the mistakes that we made and just be accountable and minimize the penalties," he said, referring to the 34-27 loss.

"It was a collection of things. A lot of guys doing things wrong. And we've made strides to correct those things. And we've definitely got to take those steps towards doing that this week," Hillman said.

Hillman says he thinks his team has a different mindset as they face Pittsburgh again.

"It's a playoff game. This one matters more than the one three weeks ago," Hillman said. "We're going to have to be more amped up for this one."

This is Hillman's fourth appearance in the playoffs in four seasons, and he says everyone in the Broncos locker room is focused.

"It's a whole new season. Everybody finds that fountain of youth when it comes to the playoffs. It's going to be a fun month."

Broncos fans are hoping that fun doesn't stop on Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.