Intriguing Game: NFL, Week 16
Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs
Steelers: The AFC North has been quite the story this year. Even with all four teams being so inconsistent, each of them still has a chance to take the division believe it or not. Ever since last season, I’ve been trying to figure out who the Pittsburgh Steelers are. Remember when they got off to such a strong start? It was the 11-0 start and the league was buzzing because one of the iconic teams was doing so well. Since then, they’ve shown too much inconsistency for my liking. I never know what Pittsburgh Steelers team is going to show up is basically what I’m saying. I can say I love what I saw from them on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans because their defense was simply the reason why they were able to come out on top. They were able to intercept Ryan Tannehill once and sacked him three times. That was Steelers football. Controlling things with defense. As of now, they are on the outside looking in the playoff picture. What’s been holding this team back is an offense that’s been too inconsistent. Let’s face it, Ben Roethlisberger is a shell of himself. At this point in his career, it’s better if he manages things. There’s no way he should be throwing the football more than 20 times if we’re being honest. On Sunday, they will make their way to Arrowhead.
Chiefs: What a win that was on Thursday in Los Angeles. If you didn’t know already, no game is over with Patrick Mahomes. He is never out of a football game. During this seven-game winning streak, that was their most impressive win to me because they had to grind the game out. There were a few things I took away from this game. The first was the impact of Chris Jones on this defense. You now see why he got paid over a year ago because his presence makes that much of a difference. The second was seeing this defense struggle to stop the run without number 95. He does so much on the interior of that defensive line that it allows everyone else to roam around freely. Lastly, I saw a pass rush that could only get home to the quarterback when they blitzed and sent additional guys. Chris is their best defensive player. I want to speak on the Chiefs’ offense. While people are clamoring for them to go back to being explosive, I enjoy how they are picking their spots. I remember back in October, I talked about them not being patient with the way defenses were playing them. Months later, they’re displaying patience. Look who’s back in the top seed in the AFC playoff picture? I bet nobody saw this coming. They’re back home Sunday for a showdown with the Steelers.
Steelers X-Factor: Minkah Fitzpatrick– I’ve been following him since his Alabama days. He’s the best defensive back the Steelers have had since Troy Polamalu. Minkah is that energy guy every defense has. He has that strong nose for the football. Every time you look up, there’s Minkah around the ball or he’s forcing a turnover. T.J. takes care of everything in the front end, Minkah handles business in the secondary.
Chiefs X-Factor: Josh Gordon– There’s no Tyreek Hill as he is on the COVID list. Earlier in the year when I kept claiming there were no other consistent weapons after Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, I remember stating on the radio why not take a chance on Josh Gordon? He could be that one piece you need. With Cheetah out, this is Josh’s time to step it up. The quarterback said he has confidence in him. It’s time to go show he still has something.
Final Thoughts: This is probably going to be the final meeting between Roethlisberger and Mahomes. The Chiefs are a completely different team now than they were in September and October. Chris Jones is expected to be back for this game and watch the defense feed off his energy. If I’m Kansas City, I’m playing zone on these Pittsburgh receivers and making Ben throw the ball deep down the field. He doesn’t have the arm strength that he once did and with that being said, you have a chance to get that interception. Also, watch out for Mecole Hardman. Anytime Tyreek doesn’t play, Mahomes tends to look his way more. The way the Steelers played defense against the Titans in week 15 is how they must play again this Sunday. They will be seeing a lot more speed on the field than they did a week ago.
Prediction: Chiefs 31, Steelers 17
