2018 Chiefs at Steelers:
OPEN THREAD
by Laddie Morse
AFC West Scenarios
The real race the Kansas City Chiefs are a part of is the race to win the AFC West. Do that, and they’re in the playoffs. So, let’s take a look at that first. If the Chiefs win in Pittsburgh today, they are guaranteed a part of the AFC West lead. Even at this stage of the season that is important, especially since the Chiefs schedule gets a tiny bit better after their first six games. The Raiders travel to Denver in a battle that will either reveal that the Raiders are indeed going to cleanup the basement of the West this year, or uncover the weaknesses in Denver’s offseason moves. A Bronco win is more likely there and so if the Chiefs fumble their chances in Pittsburgh, the Donkeys will end up in the catbird seat after the first two games of the season.
Masses vs a Spattering
The fashion statement of fans in StubHub last week in Carson, California was predominately red but that will not be the case this week. Anthony Hitchens mentions how much that meant to him for his first game as a Chiefs player but this week will be the first true road-game environment test for everyone involved with the Chiefs.
The Kick is in the Recipe
The Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Bob Sutton has his work cut out for him today. The question is… how do you take a challenged DB group and ask them to limit the “over the top” plays of WRs like Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster while simultaneously restricting the run game of the Steelers? That may be a teensy-eensy bit easier with James Connor running the ball than Le’Veon Bell, but a truly difficult task none-the-less. You may want to keep your eyes focused on Reggie Ragland and Anthony Hitchens with respect to how wide they are being asked to line up. R&H were lined up fairly snug inside vs the Chargers and they, the Bolts, were consequently able to take advantage of a lot of outside runs and passes to their RBs. While Antonio Brown should get more attention from the Chiefs deep Safety, this may open up a lot of wide open spaces for Smith-Schuster.
Ali v Frazier — ish
I liken this bout to a Muhammad Ali vs Smokin’ Joe Frazier fight. The Steelers want to punch it out while Reid’s Chiefs want to float like a butterfly and sting like a BB gun. In the past, this hasn’t worked. Sure, the Chiefs have had some close games with Pittsburgh but the Chiefs need to make their speed a factor in this game if that’s going to pay dividends.
Whether You Watch the Weather or Not
Looks like a perfect day for football.
Mahomes Sweet Mahomes
If the Chiefs are going to make a move up the ladder of AFC Conference contenders, they will eventually need to beat down the Pittsburgh Steelers. Right now, the Steelers stand in their way as probably the biggest AFC Contender to the NE Patriots. All the maneuvering the team has done by moving up to the 10th spot in the draft to take Patrick Mahomes, then grooming him for a year behind Alex Smith, then trading Smith away in what some would call “Risky Business”… it is in large part so that the Chiefs can beat a team like the Steelers. So, while this is early in Patrick Mahomes career as a full time starter, I expect to see Andy Reid continue to nurture him along in this game come win or lose. He will want to structure PMII for long term success… whatever that might mean.
There’s also no doubt that Patrick Mahomes has already shown that he has a skill level that exceeds that of any QB the Chiefs have had since probably Joe Montana. People will turn on the game just to watch the Patrick Mahomes show. However, Chiefs fans aren’t interested any more in just winning games… or… enough games to get into the playoffs. We want meaningful wins in January and February. A win in Pittsburgh will go a long way towards opening those doors of possibility.
A Predilection for Prediction
I was one TD off in my prediction last week when I said the Chiefs would win by a score of 38-to-21. Let’s see how I do this week as I’m going with the Chiefs in this one: Chiefs 31, Steelers 24. What’s your prediction? Go Chiefs!
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