Week Four was highly anticipated by Steeler Nation. It marked the return of star running back Le’Veon Bell from his three-game suspension for missing multiple drug tests in the offseason. It was exciting to know that Bell, Ben Roethlisberger, and Antonio Brown (the Killer B’s, if you will), were going to be taking the field for the first time together in 2016.
And the game did not disappoint.
The Pittsburgh Steelers blew out the Kansas City Chiefs at Heinz Field by a score of 43-14. Pittsburgh jumped out early with 22 first quarter points on two big takeaways by the Steelers defense and three touchdown passes by Roethlisberger, who finished the game with 300 passing yards and five touchdowns. Bell had 144 yards on the ground on 18 carries in his first action of the season. Brown caught two of Roethlisberger’s touchdown throws with 64 yards receiving. It was a great performance all around for the Steelers, and not so much for the Chiefs. It was also a game played on October 2nd.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Kansas City Chiefs: Don’t Expect Another Blowout
A lot has happened since then. The Steelers went on to win their next game, bringing their record to 4-1, but followed that with a four-game losing streak that put their playoff hopes on the ropes. Since then, Pittsburgh has forged ahead winning eight games straight, including last week’s Wild Card victory over the Miami Dolphins. But what about the Chiefs?
Yes, it’s safe to say they responded from the spanking they received in Pittsburgh. They finished their last twelve games with a 10-2 record, leaving them with a 12-4 final record. That was good enough to win the very competitive AFC West and clinch a first-round bye as the conference’s second seed. With the Steelers victory, the Chiefs have a chance at redemption, much like Pittsburgh just did with Miami. This is an opportunity to avenge their bad loss early in the season to the Steelers. If anyone think this is going to be a repeat of Week Four, think again. Here are three reasons why.
Home-field Advantage
Football has arguably the biggest home-field advantage of any sport. That’s a whole different topic, but there’s an elite group of stadiums that are hard to go to and win, especially in the playoffs. Arrowhead Stadium is one of them. It actually is the loudest stadium in the world according to the Guiness Book of World Records, registering at 142.2 decibels during a beating of the New England Patriots in September 2014.
If you think this crowd doesn’t want a win Sunday, you’re wrong. The Chiefs haven’t won a home playoff game since 1993. They are playing the team that crushed them earlier this year. They want this. Badly. Pittsburgh runs with the silent count on the road, and the Steelers offense has struggled mightily away from home this year. This is especially true of Roethlisberger, who has a 78.4 passer rating and a horrendous 9:8 touchdown to interception ratio on the road this year. Additionally, Kansas City boasts the best defense in the league at forcing turnovers. This game being played in Arrowhead is going to make a difference.
Tyreek Hill
This guy is a game-changer. The Kansas City offense is a much bigger threat with Tyreek Hill on the field, and that’s happened moreso as the season has progressed. The versatile player can be used in so many different situations. Whether he’s getting the ball or attracting other defenders to open up holes downfield for tight end Travis Kelce or wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, or even returning kicks and punts, the Steelers have to prepare for him and his skill set. Sometimes all it takes is one big play to put a game away and, his big-play potential is huge here.
Andy Reid
Is Andy Reid really something to be worried about here? Yes. It’s not his clock management that should worry Steeler Nation, but his preparedness and efficiency following bye weeks. When Reid has an extra week to prepare for his opponent, he is 16-2 in his career during the regular season, and he’s 3-0 in the playoffs (all three games with Philadelphia from 2002-2004). A lot of people criticize Reid because of some of his brain lapses or that he’s never won a Super Bowl, but his teams are consistent. More importantly in this case, his teams are prepared.
You’ve got to know that Reid was betting on the 12-point spread the Steelers had on the Dolphins, so you know he’s been preparing for the Steelers for a week-and-a-half now. He’s probably watched the tape from Week Four as well as tape from several games during this Steelers’ eight-game winning streak. Reid will know exactly what he wants to do to shut down the high-powered offense and exploit the weaknesses of the Steeler defense.
Rematch Outlook
Week Four was a great triumph for the Steelers. They can look back and take away some good things from that game, but this is different. This is a different Kansas City team they’re facing Sunday afternoon. The Steelers won’t take them lightly. They’ll show up ready to play. But there’s a reason why Vegas has this game pretty much as a pick’em right now. This will not be another Week Four blowout. It just may be the game of the weekend.
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