The Denver Broncos were able to muster enough offense without leading wide receiver Eric Decker in Sunday's wild-card victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Decker was injured on a pass route over the middle when he was hit in the left knee by Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who went low to bring down the receiver on a play that was first ruled a catch and then overturned on replay.
Decker is a huge part of the Broncos' passing game, leading the team in receptions (44), receiving yards (612) and touchdowns (8).
The Steelers lost nose tackle Casey Hampton (knee) during the first quarter, and defensive end Brett Keisel (groin) and left tackle Max Starks (knee) departed during the second quarter. Hampton and Keisel never returned. Starks came back briefly after he was announced as questionable to return, but he then was replaced by Jonathan Scott.
Hampton was replaced by second-year pro Steve McLendon, and rookie Cameron Heyward took over for Keisel.
Outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley also was in and out of the game for the Steelers. Woodley was probable to play with a lingering hamstring injury, and he rotated with Jason Worilds in the game and on a snap count to stay fresh, according to the team's official publication.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
