Steelers vs. Chiefs: Preview, score prediction for Week 6

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs put their 5-0 record on the line in a Week 6 matchup with the 3-2 Pittsburgh Steelers. Through the first five weeks of the 2017 NFL season, the Chiefs have been the most balanced team in all of football. They can win with offense, defense and even special teams — which makes them incredibly hard to defeat.

Pittsburgh meanwhile has been up and down. They’ve had more distractions this season than ever. First there was the question of whether star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would retire, followed by a contract hold out from running back Le’Veon Bell. More recently Roethlisberger called out receiver Antonio Brown for throwing a cooler in anger.

It’s dysfunction-city in Pittsburgh, but they can get things going with a huge win in Week 6.

Pittsburgh Keys To Victory

Find a leader: This team has had to deal with wondering if Big Ben wants to play, if Bell cares more about getting paid than winning and if Brown can keep his cool. One of these three needs to step up and say nothing matters right now but winning. If they don’t, it can be a long day in Kansas City for them.

Contain Hunt: Who would have thought the Chiefs would have the more productive back entering this game? Rookie running back Kareem Hunt has been a monster this season and is leading the league in rushing. Pittsburgh has to contain him to have any shot at winning.

Spread the ball around: Part of what makes Pittsburgh so great is their multiple receivers capable of beating teams. From Brown to Martavis Bryan to JuJu Smith-Schuster, this team is scary out wide. Roethlisberger needs to utilize them all to keep this stellar defense off balance.

Kansas City Keys To Victory

Keep Bell Frustrated: The most frustrating thing for Pittsburgh this season has to be the way Le’Veon Bell has played. He has yet to fully look like himself and explode on a defense. The Chiefs need to focus on bottling him up and getting him frustrated with the game. Pittsburgh is tough to defend, but making them one-dimensional helps.

Rattle the QB: Big Ben mentioned retirement, and one big reason was believed to be his history of injuries. Kansas City can get him overthinking with a few big hits. They have the defense to do that, and to win in this one, they need to.

Use all the weapons: Kansas City isn’t the only team in this game with a good defense. The Steelers are pretty strong in that area, but the Chiefs can help themselves by being unpredictable. They need to go to their stars like receiver Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt, but can’t forget about other players like slot receiver Albert Wilson. Moving the ball around makes it harder for that defense to zero in and make huge plays.

Odds

Point Spread: Kansas City -4
Moneyline: Pittsburgh +186, Kansas City – 208
Over/Under: 47

Odds via Sportsbook Review

Next: NFL 2017: Picks against the spread for Week 6

Prediction

Kansas City is playing better than any team and quarterback Alex Smith is a legit MVP candidate after about a quarter of the season is done. Pittsburgh on the other hand hasn’t looked this bad in years. This one should cover the spread for Kansas City.

Final Score: Pittsburgh Steelers: 21, Kansas City Chiefs: 33