BY TRISTAN SASSE
Historically, the Pittsburgh Steelers have appeared to be the Kansas City Chiefs’ kryptonite. Sunday was no different. Through five weeks, Kansas City was one of the NFL’s leading high-powered offenses, averaging the second most yards per game (414.2) and leading the league with 32.8 points per game. On Sunday, the Chiefs were held to 251 yards and 13 points before going on to lose their first game of the year, 19-13, to the Steelers.
Entering Sunday, Kansas City was 5-0 for the second time under Andy Reid (2013). The 3-2 Steelers were coming off a 30-9 loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Adding to KC and Pittsburgh’s recent matchup history, the Steelers ended the Chiefs’ season a year ago in the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs.
The Chiefs offense struggled throughout, even though Kareem Hunt became the first player in NFL history with at least 100 yards from scrimmage in his first six career games. Hunt finished with five receptions for 89 yards and nine carries for 21 yards.
Alex Smith completed 19 of 34 passes for 246 yards but finished with his lowest passer rating on the season (88.6). Smith has thrown 12 touchdown passes and no interceptions through six weeks.
For the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger was coming off a five-interception performance against the Jaguars. Big Ben finished with 252 passing yards, with the majority of them being to Antonio Brown. Brown finished with eight receptions for 155 yards. Le’Veon Bell sparked the Steelers ground game with 179 rushing yards on 32 attempts. Bell rushed for 170 yards on the Chiefs in last year’s playoff game.
Disaster struck early for Kansas City. Zach Fulton snapped the ball over Smith’s head and out the back of the end zone for a safety on Kansas City’s first possession. On the ensuing free kick, the Chiefs recovered after a miscommunication by the Steelers. Harrison Butker capitalized with a 46-yard field goal minutes later. The field goal marked Butker’s ninth straight make after missing his first kick in his NFL debut.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Bell punched in a 3-yard touchdown run. For Kansas City, Marcus Peters had an interception, but the Chiefs failed to get anything going. In the closing minutes of the half, Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell connected on a 24-yard field goal. The Steelers led at halftime, 12-3.
The Chiefs were unable to get a first down until under two minutes left in the first half. Pittsburgh ended the first half with 16 first downs, while Kansas City had six total yards on 16 plays. It was the lowest yardage total for the Chiefs in a half since December of 2011 against the New York Jets.
In the third quarter, Kansas City’s offense struggled until the final play of the quarter. Smith found Hunt for a 37-yard reception and after a roughing the passer penalty against Pittsburgh, Kansas City was within striking distance. After three quarters, the Steelers accumulated 325 yards, while the Chiefs had 91.
The Chiefs had a scoring opportunity at the beginning of the fourth quarter but turned the ball over on downs deep in Pittsburgh territory. Kansas City was down but not out. Smith later found De’Anthony Thomas for a 57-yard touchdown reception. The Steelers minimized Kansas City’s hopes in the final minutes when Brown caught a tipped pass and raced 51 yards down the sideline for a Pittsburgh touchdown.
Kansas City’s chances weren’t completely shattered. The defense forced a three and out, and Tyreek Hill exploded for a 27-yard punt return. Late in the game, Kansas City once again turned the ball over on downs and their perfect season was diminished.
Kansas City will look to rebound on Thursday night against their AFC rival, the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders are 2-4 after falling at home to the Los Angeles Chargers, 17-16, on Sunday afternoon. The Steelers will host the 2-3 Cincinnati Bengals in an AFC North matchup.