So You're Saying There's a Chance
Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Wild Card weekend ended with all four games being damn near unwatchable. The Miami at Pittsburgh game was going to determine who the Chiefs would host for next week's Divisional game after Houston rolled over an Oakland team that had no shot at winning without Carr in the game. Pittsburgh beat Miami in the first quarter, but I couldn't turn the game off. I needed to learn everything I could about the Chiefs' next opponent: Pittsburgh.
Miami operated the entire game with Matt Moore under center (expect for one play after he died for a few minutes). For the first time ever you could have said that Ryan Tannehill would have been an upgrade. Even with Matt Moore at QB, Miami had 18 First Downs and 16 of those game from passing. Plus, he completed 80% of passes against the "vaunted" Steeler defense. In 10 total drives the Miami offense earned 305 total yards with only 52(!) coming from the ground attack. Take away Moore's awful Red Zone performance and this game is much closer than any of the talking heads make it seem.
Ok, but how does this relate to the Chiefs? The Steelers dominated them earlier this year. The Steelers have won 8 straight games. The Steelers have Big Ben, LVB and AB. All of the above is true. None of that matters. Here's why:
1) Alex Smith- Has there ever been a more under-appreciated player at the QB position in the past 5 years? The game manager moniker needs to go. Smith operates the offense with speed and precision Andy Reid's offense requires. Smith has had down field success with the emergence of offensive weapons (Kelce, Hill, Maclin, West). Don't forget he can run the ball too. Pittsburgh struggle to stop Matt Moore. Expect Smith to control the game from the QB position and not make the same Redzone mistakes that Moore made.
2) The Defensive Secondary- Eric Berry and Marcus Peters. That's all I should have to say about this. Unlike against Miami, Antonio Brown will have to contend against two All-Pro players the entire game. This Secondary creates turnovers with ease. Even more impressive is their tackling ability. The Steelers will complete passes, no doubt about that. But, the Chiefs prevent those catches from becoming even bigger plays.
3) The Bye- Never, ever minimize the importance of a Bye. While Pittsburgh was playing a game in 11 degree weather, the Chiefs were getting healthy, watching film and gameplanning. Because the Chiefs are a more mature team the rest afforded by the Bye is huge. Don't forget that Andy Reid is 16-2 following a Bye.
Nothing is given nor is it guaranteed, especially in the Playoffs. It's time that the Chiefs get the respect that they've earned. It's time to stop with anointing Pittsburgh as Super Bowl LI champions after beating the hapless Miami Dolphins. Unlike this past weekend, the games this weekend will be entertaining. Expect the Steelers-Chiefs game to be a battle for 60 minutes with Kansas City coming away with the W.
