The Steelers reached into the past and pulled out a familiar formula, a big day running the football, air tight defense and a little magic as they held on to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 19-13 on Sunday. Le’Veon Bell ran for 179 yards and a touchdown, Antonio Brown made a magical touchdown catch in the fourth quarter and James Harrison capped off a great day by the defense.
The defense dominated the Chiefs for 3 and 3/4 of the game holding Kansas City to minus-2 yards rushing in the first half and the Chiefs didn’t get a First Down until less than two minutes remained in the half. Rookie running back Kareem Hunt was a non-factor all day as he was held to less than 30 yards rushing. There was no room to run as the front seven crushed KC up front. Vince Williams had two of three of the Steelers sacks and had a great game until he was injured. The third sack belonged to James Harrison who was a factor in his limited time. His sack all but sealed the game as he roughed up Eric Fisher and dropped Alex Smith. Fisher also should have been called for holding on the only Touchdown KC had.
The pass defense was excellent minus one busted play of 57 yards and some poor tackling. Overall the defense held Alex Smith the top percentage passer in the league to 246 yards passing, however Smith was held to one first down and 23 yards passing in the first half and less than 100 yards after three quarters. He also was harassed all day by the Steelers four man rush.
The offense still continues to be a work in progress. They effectively ran the ball as the offensive line, playing without two starters, pushed Kansas City all over the field. Using all different kinds of traps and pulling from all parts of the line the Steelers, tallied almost 200 yards on 37 carries. Le’Veon Bell, rushing 32 times for 179 yards. He had a whopping seven runs of 10-plus yards. In his past three games against Kansas City, Bell has 493 yards on 80 carries (6.1-yard average). It was a terrific performance.
After playing his worst game as a Steeler, Ben Roethlisberger had a nice bounce back day. He still doesn’t look great but he put up a workmanlike day with 252 yards, hitting five different receivers and throwing one Touchdown. He got a little bit of luck on the 51 yard touchdown to Antonio Brown, as he was nearly picked off. Brown had another amazing day coming up with eight catches for 155 yards. His concentration in catching the 51 yarder should put to rest any question of his value.
The special teams was an outright disaster…again. The Steelers failed to cover a free kick giving Kansas City it’s first points. Jordan Berry continues to struggle and the Steelers almost blew the game on a 32 yard punt return from the dangerous Tyreek Hill.
In the end the Steelers beat the last undefeated team in the league. The ability to bounce back after a very embarrassing tough loss has been a signature of this coaching staff. The game plan was well thought out and well executed.
BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!
My “GAME BEER” goes to: We are going Deebo, for sealing the victory. There is a sense of calmness that comes over me when he enters the game! One can only wonder if he was in against Dallas last season! Also Considered: Le’Veon Bell for his outstanding performance and Antonio Brown for a tremendous day as well.
Where I watched the game: At the house after a great day out at the vineyards of Long Island with KGB. No Beer and no Snacks as we try to figure out what our Sunday routine will be for 4PM games.
My Stat of the week: 80 Sacks, the most in Steelers history by James Harrison, who continues to add to his legacy and his resume.
My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers return home against a recovering Bengals team. WE WILL BE THERE. The Steelers could all but eliminate Cincinnati from the division with a big win!
This week’s Jersey: No jersey this week as I was traveling all day Saturday. I wore the Steelers official sideline shirt to mass on Saturday night!