Steelers vs. Chiefs: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2017 NFL Playoffs

The Pittsburgh Steelers never found the end zone, but they did enough to earn an 18-16 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday's AFC Divisional Round matchup at Arrowhead Stadium.

While Pittsburgh led for most of the game, Kansas City had a chance to tie things up after scoring a touchdown with 2:43 remaining in the fourth quarter. After a holding call canceled out what would have been a successful two-point conversion, the second attempt fell incomplete.

The Steelers then converted the one first down they needed to secure the narrow victory.

Pittsburgh kicker Chris Boswell set an NFL postseason record with six field goals as the Steelers' drives consistently stalled near the red zone.

This was through no fault of running back Le'Veon Bell, who was outstanding again with 170 rushing yards on 30 carries.

Steelers media manager Dom Rinelli provided an interesting note on the running back's effort:

Mike Petraglia of WEEI was already looking toward next week:

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wasn't at his best, but he finished with 224 passing yards, 108 of which went to wide receiver Antonio Brown.

Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus also credited the Pittsburgh offensive line:

On the other side of the field, Alex Smith did as much as he could, posting 172 passing yards with one touchdown and an interception. Tight end Travis Kelce was responsible for 77 of those yards on five catches.

With only 227 yards of offense and two turnovers, the Chiefs couldn't keep up on the scoreboard.

Kansas City's offense did look impressive on its first series, utilizing different formations and creative plays to eventually score the game's first touchdown on a five-yard pass from Smith to Albert Wilson.

The NFL shared a replay of the first of the game's two touchdowns:

Tod Palmer of the Kansas City Star discussed the opening drive:

Pittsburgh was better at moving the ball, driving deep into opposing territory on its first few possessions. But the Steelers struggled to get into the end zone and settled for field goals.

Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star noted the Steelers' inability to complete drives:

The Steelers built a 12-7 lead by the end of the first half, but it seemed like the margin should have been bigger.

Jason McIntyre of the Big Lead broke down some interesting statistics from the first half:

The third quarter featured a similar theme, with the Chiefs failing to move the chains and the Steelers unable to get touchdowns.

Pittsburgh extended the lead to 15-7 early in the third quarter with another Boswell field goal, as Bell continued to carry the offense on the ground.

NFL on ESPN provided a look at the one-sided play:

Kansas City finally ended the streak with a field goal late in the third quarter, which cut the score to 15-10 going into the fourth.

Former NFL lineman Geoff Schwartz joked about the style of play:

The Steelers added another field goal, which left the door open for the Chiefs to potentially tie the game.

Kansas City scored the touchdown it needed, utilizing a 13-play, 75-yard drive that lasted more than seven minutes. The team converted two fourth downs on the drive, which ended with a Spencer Ware one-yard run.

The Chiefs then appeared to tie the game with the two-point conversion, but it was called back because of a holding penalty on former No. 1 pick Eric Fisher. They failed to convert the second opportunity and never got the ball again as the Steelers ran out the clock:

The Steelers will now move on to face the New England Patriots on the road in the AFC Championship Game. While they did lose to the Patriots 27-16 earlier in the season, Landry Jones started at quarterback as Roethlisberger nursed a knee injury.

It's safe to expect a more competitive game this time around.

Postgame Reaction

The Chiefs didn't come away with the win, but head coach Andy Reid stayed positive.

"Credit to the Steelers, they were the better team today....but you did get to see our grit," Reid said, per B.J. Kissel of the team's official site.

Tight end Travis Kelce wasn't as upbeat after the game, complaining specifically about the holding call that took away the two-point conversion, per Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star (warning: explicit language). He argued the official who made the call "shouldn't even be able to work at Foot Locker."

Boswell was the hero for the Steelers, knocking in all six of his field-goal attempts while representing Pittsburg's only scoring. He explained after the game why the pressure didn't get to him.

"You think about that you are not thinking about what you are supposed to," per Andrew Stockey of WTAE.

"The guys fought," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin added, per the team's Twitter account. "They fought together in a hostile environment. It's great to see."

Pittsburgh will hope the team can keep fighting in the AFC Championship.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.