The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t cruised to many victories this season. In a campaign marked by nail-biting finishes, fourth-quarter heroics, and one-score wins, the Chiefs ended Christmas Day with a dominant win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game they led from the first quarter on. It was one of Kansas City’s best performances of the season, contrasted against one of Pittsburgh’s poorest showings of the year. The Steelers were agonizing to watch offensively and ineffectual defensively, a combination that led to their largest margin of defeat of the season. There are plenty of takeaways for each team as both organizations prepare for what they hope will be deep postseason runs.
1) Kansas City’s Offense Requires Perfection. Mahomes Can Provide It
The days of 80-yard bombs flying from quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ hand into the end zone are gone. Explosive plays from the Chiefs are now few and far between, in large part thanks to the rag-tag group of receivers that Kansas City rosters. Head coach Andy Reid has opted for an offense that features a variety of throws within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage to disguise the deficiencies of his pass-catchers. Screens, slants, and option routes constituted nearly the entirety of the Chiefs’ offense against Pittsburgh. Mahomes had the ball out of his hands almost as soon as he received the snap, nullifying any chance of the offense taking a negative play. It wasn’t a flashy showing by any means, especially since the run game did next to nothing, but it kept the Chiefs on schedule against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
The downsides of that style of offense are obvious. Negative plays are often drive-killers, as chunk yardage is hard to come by. Mahomes needs to have the ball out on time and accurately each and every play. That’s exactly what he did against the Steelers, putting together 320 passing yards and three touchdowns in what was easily his best game of the season. The Chiefs will need multiple such performances in the postseason to account for what is a mediocre offensive group outside of Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
2) The Steelers’ Passing Game Will Force Them Out Of A Home Playoff Game
Hopes were high for Pittsburgh quarterback Russell Wilson heading into this game. Leading wide receiver George Pickens returned after missing two weeks with a hamstring injury, a factor that should have led to a massive offensive spark for a struggling passing game. Instead, the Steelers played perhaps the worst offensive game through the air since the early days of their season. Wilson was held to 205 passing yards, failing to threaten the defense downfield despite trailing for nearly the entire game. The offensive line failed to protect Wilson, forcing him to scramble for his life on crucial passing downs over and over again.
Aside from Pickens and tight end Pat Freiermuth, the pass-catchers were continually locked down by the Chiefs’ secondary. This performance comes on the heels of a similarly bad outing against the worst air defense in the league in the Baltimore Ravens. Two games, two losses, and two hard-to-watch games from Russell Wilson and company will likely cost the Steelers a chance to hang another AFC North banner in their rafters.
3) Kansas City’s Kicking Game Could Turn Into A Problem
For the second week in a row, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker missed a kick. This time it was an extra point, and the miss would prompt the Chiefs to go for two the next time they scored. They proceeded to fail the two-point conversion, allowing the Steelers a brief window of hope late in the game. It isn’t a huge concern, but it does seem that Butker has regressed from a kicker who seemingly couldn’t miss to an average one. In matchups with better offenses, missed extra points could be the difference between winning and losing. While it might not be immediately important, it is something to keep an eye on when the Chiefs run into the Buffalo Bills or the Baltimore Ravens in the postseason.
