No. 7 Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7-1) at No. 2 Kansas City Chiefs (12-5)
Sunday, January 16, 8:15PM ET
Three weeks ago, the Kansas City Chiefs played the Pittsburgh Steelers at home. In that game, they dominant from the opening kickoff to the final whistle. I don’t expect much different in this one, especially with a trip to the next round of the playoffs on the line.
There’s just no slowing down the Chiefs right now. They’ve won nine of their last ten games, and that one loss was a shootout that required a historic effort from the Bengals to get the job done. The Steelers aren’t nearly as intimidating of a foe, and we’ll see evidence of that on Sunday.
Look for the Chiefs to get after Ben Roethlisberger early and often, forcing the aging gunslinger to make plays under pressure. Kansas City will also get their offense rolling early, forcing the Steelers to play catch-up all game long. Despite Pittsburgh’s solid defense, I don’t see them having enough to keep Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce contained.
It’s been a rollercoaster ride for the Steelers this season — they’re lucky to even be in the postseason. As for the Chiefs, they’ve spent the last three months proving they’re one of the teams to beat as the playoffs get underway. Kansas City starts their campaign for a third-straight Super Bowl appearance run with a big win at Arrowhead Stadium.
Prediction: Chiefs win 36-17