Steelers vs. Chiefs Point Spread: AFC Divisional Round Odds

The Kansas City Chiefs were 1-5 heading into a week seven match-up with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the fan base had pretty much already checked out.

The Steelers are in red-hot form, winning each of their last eight games, including a dominant AFC wild card victory over the Miami Dolphins last weekend.

“We have a lot of respect for Justin Houston, but we also have a lot for Dee Ford and Tamba Hali”, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. With that and the displays both teams have put forth this season, their battle on Sunday could be one of the show-stealers of the weekend. And while Houston missed a substantial portion of the season, the Chiefs still managed 28 sacks, which placed them 28th among the 32 teams in the NFL. He feels a fast start versus the Steelers would not only give the Chiefs early momentum but get their rabid fans into the game. Prior to that the last playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium was in January 2004. It also adds deception for the Steelers’ curl flat defenders on the outside, which the Chiefs can use for their inside running game.

“Obviously over the course of the season, they’ve gotten better at what they do”. A game manager, someone who makes few mistakes, that’s for the most part what many regard Smith as.

– Call James Harrison an ageless wonder, but there’s not much of a secret to the 38-year-old’s success this season.

“We got embarrassed in the first meeting”, Chiefs center Mitch Morse said, “and we had to come back and kind of take a step back and realize, ‘We’re a good football team.’ We had to understand where we were”. Steelers scored franchise record 22 first-quarter points in win over Chiefs in October.

At Heinz Field, where the Steelers beat up on the Fins 30-12 to get to this point, Roethlisberger completed 70.8 per cent of his passes with 20 touchdowns, five interceptions and a QB rating of 116.7 this year.

Four years later, it’s nearly comical to think Bell was once compared to Jerome Bettis and fellow 2013 second rounder Eddie Lacy simply because of what the bathroom scale said. Well the team that is affected the most is the home team. While the Steelers could survive it against the Dolphins, especially up double digits at the time, the Chiefs won’t let him get away with it. By game time, the ice could change to freezing rain or just rain.

“Based on the latest information they feel very confident we’ll be able to provide a very safe environment starting when you open the gates”, Donovan said.

The Kansas City Chiefs will need good play from all phases of the game if they wish to slow down the Steelers and get the win. Tyreek Hill has been nothing short of stupendous this season and has stolen games for the Chiefs on offense and special teams multiple times this season. The key to this game will be how do the Chiefs stop Bell, not as a runner, but as a receiver out the backfield. I realize one player can’t win a game by himself, but if it’s possible, Rodgers is the one who can do it.

In 2004, Ben Roethlisberger’s first National Football League start against the Miami Dolphins was delayed from an early afternoon kickoff to a night game because of Hurricane Jeanne.

“Roethlisberger is focused on red zone offense and ball security, but otherwise the stats don’t concern him because “[winning] is all that matters to me”. Smith has stunk at times over the last two seasons and if he stinks again on Sunday, the Steelers are in deep trouble. “You’ve got to do what got you here”, Reid said.