This game is going to be entertaining with an excellent matchup between the Pittsburg Steelers offense and Chiefs defense. This weekend is going to be jam-packed with outstanding football! Every game has experts going back and forth on who they think will advance to the conference championships, except the Texans and Patriots. Here we are going to look at the Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Kansas City Chiefs. The story that everyone is paying attention to, when it comes to this game, is the Steelers potent offense versus the Chiefs stout defense. But which group will be the one to make the big play when their team needs it most?
[NickPoalson]
The Pittsburgh Steelers offense has been strong all season long, even without Martavis Bryant. They lost Bryant before the start of the season for violating the NFL’s drug policy. Even without him, Le’veon Bell and Antonio Brown have been playing all pro football, as we all probably expected. But, the real difference makers are the supporting cast of skill position players for the Steelers offense. Deangelo Williams, Eli Rogers, Coby Hamilton, and Ledarius Green have all been outstanding. They contributed big plays to help take pressure off of Roethlisberger, Bell, and Brown. The Steelers offense is ranked 7th overall, 5th in passing, and 14th in rushing yards per game. The offense has been hot over the last 6 weeks of the season averaging 26.8 points per game. But let’s not forget about what their defense has done over that 6-week stretch, holding opposing teams to only 18.6 points per game. The Steelers defense must maintain that type of performance if they are planning on knocking off Alex Smith and the Chiefs.
Kansas City’s offense has improved from 2015 but still needs more firepower. Alex Smith is a quarterback that sticks to the dink and dunk possession style passing. Playing this way minimizes turnovers and leaves their offense depending on skill players to make big plays. But, it normally doesn’t lead to a very potent high-scoring offensive attack. The Chiefs offense is 20th overall, 19th in passing, and 15th in rushing yards per game. This is a statistic that doesn’t scream Super Bowl contenders. That being said, the Chiefs have found a special talent in rookie receiver Tyreek Hill who started to really burst on the scene after their contest with the Colts. The Chiefs offense has weapons in Hill, Jeremy Maclin, Travis Kelce, and Spencer Ware. But, if they plan on winning this game, they can’t get into a shootout. The Chiefs Derrick Johnson-less defense will have to hold up against that potent Steelers offense. The loss of Derrick Johnson is going to be a huge factor in their run defense. The Chiefs still have the 9th ranked overall defense but they will certainly be tested on Sunday.
[Sean2]
The game is going to be close in many experts minds. With it being at Arrowhead Stadium, this will have an effect on the Pittsburgh Steelers with how loud the chiefs fans can get. But, the Steelers offense will find ways to move the ball, even against the Chiefs stout defense and win on the road. This is the first time that Bell, Ben, and Brown have all been in the playoffs together. The offensive line is playing extremely well for Pittsburgh and the defense only has to contain the Kansas City and their offense. The Chiefs are going to rely too much on their defense, which will lead to them falling in this matchup. It will be much closer than the week 4 matchup where Pittsburgh pounded KC, 43-14 in Pittsburgh. Let’s hope for a closer game at least. Especially after that God awful weekend of wild card games. I predict the Pittsburgh Steelers will win 31 to 21.