It’s the Steelers. All the details for Kansas City Chiefs’ first-round playoff game
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes spent the final day of the NFL’s regular season as a mere spectator, but he learned he’ll spend AFC Wild Card Weekend in a much different role.
For the first time, he’ll be a first-round participant.
The Chiefs will play the Pittsburgh Steelers at 7:15 p.m. Sunday in the AFC Wild Card Round, with the game broadcast on NBC.
The Chiefs are locked into the No. 2 seed in the AFC, leaving the lone bye to the top-seeded Titans, who took care of their work against the Texans in Week 18.
But what a day to sit back and watch. After entering the day with 96 different possible scenarios — and seven possible first-round opponents — the Chiefs wait on a team that had a minimal chance to make it at all.
And one exhaling one gigantic sigh of relief.
The Steelers entered the day with only a 9% chance to make the playoffs — and just a 4.8% chance to play the Chiefs — but they got some help.
On the last snap of the season.
The Raiders kicked a game-winning field goal against the Chargers as time expired in overtime Sunday night, preventing a tie that would have eliminated Pittsburgh from the playoffs and sent the Raiders to Kansas City instead. The Raiders are the No. 5 seed and will travel to Cincinnati.
Earlier Sunday, the Jaguars upset the Colts, offering the Steeles their initial boost, and the Steelers soon after beat the Ravens in overtime.
So, at last, it’s the Steelers. And Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement party waits at least one more week, while he marches into Arrowhead Stadium hoping for a different fate than the one he encountered just two weeks ago. The Chiefs defeated the Steelers 36-10, but they completely dominated the game, scoring the first 30 points. That’s despite playing without several players who were on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including tight end Travis Kelce.
Without Kelce — and with Tyreek Hill limited after coming off that COVID-19 list only a day earlier — the Chiefs handed the keys of the offense to Patrick Mahomes, and he returned a near-perfect day. He completed 23 of 30 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns. He spent the final 12 minutes resting after the Chiefs had yanked their starters.
“It’s going to be underscored here, I know, but this is one of his great games,” coach Andy Reid said afterward. “The way he was seeing things out there and handling himself out there against one of the better pass defenses in the National Football League. My hat goes off to him.”
He played with a freedom, extending plays, one resulting in a touchdown throw to Byron Pringle (who had two) and another a 50-yard throw to running back Derrick Gore on a scramble drill.
And Roethlisberger played confined in a box. The Chiefs sacked him twice and intercepted him once. He completed 23 of 35 passes but for just 159 yards, a paltry 4.5 yards per attempt. The Steelers were never competitive.
For what it’s worth, the Las Vegas oddsmakers don’t expect this one to be competitive, either. The Chiefs have opened as a 13-point favorite.
The Steelers have made two trips to Arrowhead Stadium for playoff games, Most recently, the Steelers left the venue with an 18-16 win in a 2017 AFC Divisional Round game — despite not reaching the end zone even once.
This story was originally published January 9, 2022 at 11:30 PM.