Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Hi Chiefs Kingdom!

I predicted a win against the Steelers last week, and as much as it stinks being wrong, we lost 19-13. The Chiefs didn’t go down without a fight, and there was still a chance to win with a minute left in the game. We need to put the past behind us and bounce back. The Chiefs head to Oakland Thursday night and battle against the 2-4 Raiders.

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Oakland Raiders

Offense

The Chiefs’ offense really struggled last week against the Steelers. Quarterback Alex Smith completed only 19 of his 34 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown. Rookie running back Kareem Hunt was shut down by the Steelers. He only carried the ball nine times for 21 yards. In a shining moment for the Chiefs, De’Anthony Thomas completed a 57-yard touchdown, which got the Chiefs within three points of the Steelers, 12-10. Rookie kicker Harrison Butker completed both of his field goals including a 33-yard field goal that put the Chiefs only six points behind the Steelers at 19-13 with only 2:17 left in the game. Chiefs running back Charcandrick West and wide receiver Tyreek Hill had separate injuries on the field and are both being evaluated for concussions. It’s unknown if they will play on Thursday night. We are hoping for fast recoveries. On to the Raiders offense: The Raiders lost last week 17-16 against the Chargers. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, who was out the week before, was back and only able to complete 21 of his 30 passes for 171 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. The Chiefs; defense needs to pay close attention to Raiders wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree who, combined, caught the ball 11 times for 94 yards last week.

Defense

The Chiefs’ defense was not able to keep up with Big Ben and the rest of the Steelers’ offense. The Steelers had a total of 439 yards and 23 first downs. Chiefs’ linebacker Dee Ford was back after an injury and was able to sack Roethlisberger on their opening drive. Chiefs’ defensive back Marcus Peters was able to get his second interception of the year. The Raider defense allowed the Chargers 268 rushing yards. The Chiefs’ offensive line needs to keep Raiders linebacker Bruce Irvin, who had six tackles and one sack against the Chargers, away from Smith.

Game Prediction

I am not letting this loss change my mindset about the Chiefs and their future. We will beat the Raiders on Thursday as long as our offensive line protects Smith and our defense applies pressure to Carr. Sorry, Raiders Fangirl, but I think we got this. Go Chiefs!

[NFL-Chiefs-footer] [NFL-Crucial-Catch]

Photo Credits:

• Kansas City Chiefs on Wikimedia Commons by Kansas City Chiefs
• Oakland Coliseum Field on Wikimedia Commons by Broken Sphere
• Alex Smith on wikimedia commons by Lance Cpl. Matthew Bragg
• Tyreek Hill on flickr by Brook Ward
• Oakland Raiders on Wikimedia Commons by Oakland Raiders
• Los Angeles Chargers on Wikimedia Commons by San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers
• Derek Carr on wikimedia commons by Erik Drost
• Amari Cooper on wikimedia commons by Erik Drost
• Ben Roethlisberger on flickr by Jeffrey Beall