Kansas City Chiefs: Behind Enemy Lines With The Pittsburgh Steelers

The Kansas City Chiefs take on the Pittsburgh Steelers this week on Sunday Night Football at Heinz Field. For an inside look, I spoke with Kim Myers of the Steelers FanSided site, Still Curtain.

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off of a dominating performance against the New York Jets. The Chiefs are hoping to keep the momentum of that big win going this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. For an inside look, I spoke with Kim Myers who covers the Steelers on Still Curtain for the FanSided network.

The Chiefs defeated the Jets in all areas. In fact, the Chiefs offense beat them 10-3, the defense beat them 7-3, and Special Teams beat them 7-3. That’s pretty definitive. However, KC fans should not expect the same this week against the Steelers.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a very talented team, especially on offense. More than a few experts have picked them to make the Super Bowl. The Steelers are coming off of an embarrassing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. That might get some teams down, but coach Mike Tomlin is known for motivating his players. Expect a Steelers team that is ready to go on Sunday. This will be a tough game.

For more on my thoughts for this week’s match up, check out my answers to Kim’s questions over at Sill Curtain by following the link…

Ben Almquist: The big story for the Steelers this week is obviously the return of Le’Veon Bell. How much work will he be getting Sunday?

Kim Myers: “Bell is going to get a lot of work. I don’t think there’s any reason to hold him back. The suspension was probably a blessing for his knee rehab and even if DeAngelo Williams is playing out of his mind there’s still no reason to not let Bell loose on the field. Bell provides the offense with options they haven’t had before as he can be used as a slot receiver as well as a running back.

There’s also talk of using both Bell and Williams on the field together so that should provide some options to keep the Chiefs on their toes.”

BA: The Steelers have given up back to back 100 yard receiving games to running backs. Do they have an answer for Spencer Ware and Jamaal Charles?

KM: “Steelers fans have been ok with the “bend-but-don’t-break” defense that we saw in the first two games until that defense got broken badly by Carson Wentz and Co. The amount of yards given up isn’t nearly as important as the points allowed so I could care less how many rushing yards both Chiefs running backs get as long as we can keep them out of the end zone.

The pressure on the quarterback has been seriously lacking from this defense so far so that is more upsetting than anything else I’d guess. It’s a big week for the linebackers and defensive line to prove that the front seven really is the strength of this defense.”

BA: The Steelers look to have a dangerous offense, but couldn’t get anything going against the Eagles. Was that just a one-time thing, or is there a bigger issue?

KM: “God I hope it was a one-time thing. I have to believe that was just a series of events that just weren’t corrected probably during the game. The offensive line got man-handled and they abandoned the rush too quickly and Ben Roethlisberger was just off at times. On top of all that they had a sure touchdown dropped in the end zone and then a kick was blocked. It was downhill from that point.

I have to believe that an offense with Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams will be able to score touchdowns on a consistent basis. There’s too much talent there. There’s no reason to panic at this point.”

BA: Who is one Steelers player that Chiefs fans don’t know, but should?

KM: “Hopefully Chiefs fans will see at lot of nose tackle Daniel McCullers and Javon Hargrave and that means that Spencer Ware and Jamaal Charles are getting stuffed at the line repeatedly. Otherwise the defense will look a little different given the injuries. L.J. Fort and Anthony Chickillo will be part of the linebacker rotation while rookies Artie Burns and Sean Davis will be a big part of the secondary.

Justin Gilbert will likely be in on some sub packages in the secondary for the first time this season if Robert Golden remains out and they have to shuffle the deck a bit.”

BA: Prediction for Sunday night?

KM: “I feel like the Steelers are going to rebound big from that thumping they took last weekend. Even though they dropped the game last season to the Chiefs I feel like the return of Bell will provide a burst for the offense and it will be too much for the Chiefs to handle. I think the Steelers get back to scoring 30+ points a game and take this one 31-24.”

Next: Kansas City Chiefs: 5 Things To Watch Vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Thank you to Kim Myers of Still Curtain for talking with me. This is a tough game for the Kansas City Chiefs. There are a lot of quality match ups across the board, especially Antonio Brown vs Marcus Peters. Ultimately, I think this game turns into a bit of a shoot out. That means it will be the defense that can come up with the big play at the right time that wins the day.

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