The Pittsburgh Steelers just embarrassed the Kansas City Chiefs tonight. It isn’t like the Chiefs are a terrible team and one of the bottom feeders of the NFL. The Chiefs are perennial contenders in the AFC. But tonight, none of that mattered as they took a 43-14 whipping from the Steelers at Heinz Field.
This last time the Chiefs (2-2) were beaten this bad was back on October 15, 2006, when they were bludgeoned ironically by the Steelers 45-7.
The Chiefs just didn’t have it tonight on either side of the football. Plus, as if this helped, they were bereft of their best player in running back JAMAL CHARLES who was in uniform, but didn’t play a down to due to a knee injury.
Meanwhile, Steelers quarterback BEN ROETHLISBERGER was on fire tonight, as he was 22 of 27 for 300 yards and 5 scoring passes. He split his 22 completions among ten different offensive players which included second-year man SAMMIE COATES, who led the team in catches tonight with six. Coates who had 79 yards to go with those half-dozen grabs, is a player who needed a game like this.
Then there was running back LE’VEON BELL who missed the first four games of this season due to a missed drug test. He went off on the Chiefs defense for 144 yards on 18 carries. He didn’t score, but that was beside the point. The Steelers realized just how much they missed him when they were chopped up by the Philadelphia Eagles last week 34-3. Tonight he gave the Steelers the missing ingredient that they needed for offensive balance.
The Steelers (3-1) kicked of the scoring when on 3rd and 9 from the KC 31, Roethlisberger found receiver DARRIUS HEYWARD-BEY (who was alone on the play) for a 31-yard scoring pass. That was Heyward-Bey’s first touchdown catch of the year and it gave the Steelers an eventual 8-0 lead (the Steelers had a successful two-point conversion play after Heyward-Bey’s catch) with 7:27 left in the first quarter.
Then star Steelers receiver ANTONIO BROWN (4 catches for 64 yards and 2 scores) got into the act of scoring, when he took a Roethlisberger pass across the middle and sped into the end zone for a 4-yard scoring play. With 5:10 left in the first quarter, the black and gold had themselves a 15-0 advantage.
As if the Chiefs defense weren’t already tired of dealing with Brown, he scored on their defense again later in the first quarter. This time he got behind the defense and leapt into the air to secure a Roethlisberger pass in the end zone, and right in front of Kansas City cornerback STEVEN NELSON. With 1:20 left in the quarter, that 38-yard scoring play gave the Steelers took a 22-0 lead.
Third-year Pittsburgh tight end JESSE JAMES scored the third touchdown of his career, when he beat Chiefs safety DANIEL SORENSEN for a 9-yard scoring catch near the back corner of the end zone. With just 44 seconds left in the first half the Steelers furthered their lead to 29-0.
MARKUS WHEATON of the Steelers, got his first touchdown catch of the season when he grabbed a Roethlisberger pass at the middle corner of the end zone for a 30-yard score. With 11:19 left in the third quarter the Steelers had an insurmountable lead at 36-0.
Then finally in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs got on the board. Rookie wide receiver TYREEK HILL got his hands on an ALEX SMITH pass near the goal line, and then proceeded to force his way into the end zone to avoid the shutout. With 11:11 left in the contest the score moved to 36-7.
A super determined 44-yard run by Bell later in the fourth quarter, helped take the fight out of the Chiefs. It was runs like that which made Steelers fans and of course the team miss his services. That run set up a DEANGELO WILLIAMS 2-yard scoring run down the left side. With 7:22 left in the game the score moved to 43-7.
Chiefs Pro-Bowl tight end TRAVIS KELCE had a bad game. But he redeemed himself a bit when he caught a super contested 3-yard touchdown pass from Smith near the back of the end zone. With just four seconds left in the game the score moved to 43-14.
