Steelers vs. Chiefs: Grades, Notes and Quotes for Pittsburgh
Well, that didn't go as planned.
In a game fittingly described by some readers as a classic trap game, the Pittsburgh Steelers couldn't amount much of an effort on both sides of the ball on Sunday, falling to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, 23-13.
What looked to be a winnable game against the struggling Chiefs turned into a lackluster, uninspiring performance from those in the black and gold, namely the offense, which was conservative for much of the game until turning it on late to try to mount a comeback.
For much of the first half, it was all Le'Veon Bell, who had 58 yards rushing on 11 carries through two quarters. However, the Steelers could only muster a 24-yard field goal from Chris Boswell in the first half.
Pittsburgh was in prime position to kick a second field goal in the first half, but Mike Tomlin and Todd Haley decided to go for it on 4th-and-1 from the Chiefs 32-yard line. DeAngelo Williams was stuffed at the line for no gain on the play, turning the ball over on downs in Chiefs territory.
Despite running the ball well—for the most part—in the first half, Pittsburgh inexplicably went away from the running game and tried to air it out with Landry Jones in the second half, resulting in an interception early in the third quarter, allowing the Chiefs to add a quick touchdown and extra point to go up 16-3 over the Steelers.
Luckily, Jones was able to correct his turnover issues to keep the Steelers in the game and in a position to mount a comeback.
For the second straight week, Jones found second-year receiver Martavis Bryant for a touchdown—this one a beautiful 19-yard throw and catch to help bring the Steelers back to within six, 16-10.
Forcing a Chiefs punt following the touchdown, Pittsburgh mounted another impressive drive thanks to Bell, who went around the left end for 42 yards to put the Steelers in the red zone, but an incomplete pass and a sack forced the Steelers to settle for a 36-yard field goal from Boswell to make it 16-13 Chiefs.
Not to be outdone, Kansas City put together an eight-play, 84-yard scoring drive to seal the win, highlighted by a 26-yard hookup from Alex Smith to Travis Kelce and a 36-yard run by Charcandrick West. Four plays after West's big run, Smith found rookie receiver Chris Conley for a six-yard touchdown to help put the Chiefs up 23-13.
The Steelers tried to drive back down the field for another touchdown, but on 1st-and-10 from the Kansas City 39-yard line, Jones was sacked by Tamba Hali, who forced a fumble on the play, which was recovered by Jaye Howard to seal the Chiefs win, snapping their five-game losing streak.
With the loss, the Steelers now sit at 4-3 (2-2 without Ben Roethlisberger under center).
Position Grades for Pittsburgh
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Position Grade
QB C-
RB A
WR B
TE INC
OL B
DL C
LB B-
DB C-
Special Teams A
Coaching C+
It wasn't that Jones was bad throughout the game, it was the fact that Haley was so conservative in the first half and rarely let Jones try to make plays through the air. It reminded me a lot of the way Haley was with Mike Vick for the most part in his two starts.
Once the playbook was opened back up for Jones, he was able to find Bryant, Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton with regularity through the air while also utilizing Bell out of the backfield.
Sure, Jones had three turnovers, but he proved he is more than capable of giving the Steelers a chance to win as a backup in the NFL.
In the backfield, enough can't be said for Bell and the job he does week after week. He's incredible.
Against the Chiefs, Bell rushed for 121 yards on just 17 carries and added four receptions for 16 yards out of the backfield. The third-year back out of Michigan State ripped off a 42-yard run in the fourth quarter that put the Steelers in the red zone.
Without his production on the ground on Sunday, who knows how ugly the game could have been for the Steelers.
At receiver, Bryant and Brown look like a scary one-two punch for the Steelers.
Brown appears to have bounced back from his tough stretch of games with Vick under center, hauling in six passes for 124 yards against the Chiefs, including a 41-yard catch from Jones.
As for Bryant, all the second-year receiver out of Clemson does is catch touchdowns. His 19-yard touchdown in the third quarter was the 11th of his career through 12 games.
At tight end, the position gets an incomplete grade for the lack of targets and receptions, although Heath Miller and Matt Spaeth did a nice job all day in the running game, much like they always do for the Steelers.
Along the offensive line, the Steelers did well at opening up holes for Bell throughout the game despite missing two stalwarts in Maurkice Pouncey and Kelvin Beachum.
For the most part, Alejandro Villanueva did a nice job of protecting Jones' blind side while establishing himself as a good run-blocker against a physical front seven of Kansas City.
Defensively, the Steelers defensive line played well for the most part—namely Cameron Heyward—but Cam Thomas was pushed around far too often by the Chiefs offensive line. On West's 36-yard run late in the fourth quarter, Thomas was put on skates, leaving a big running lane for the Chiefs running back.
In the linebacking corps, the Steelers didn't put as much heat on Smith as expected, but Lawrence Timmons and Ryan Shazier were each credited with half a sack. Timmons led the Steelers in tackles on Sunday with a game-high 10.
Bud Dupree didn't have the breakout game I expected, but he did come up with a tackle for loss and a pass deflection by getting his hand in the passing lane after not being able to get to the quarterback.
As a secondary, the Steelers didn't give up that big play through the air that they're prone to, but the Steelers secondary did allow Smith to move the ball up and down the field with short throws that usually resulted in misses tackles—namely the 40-yard catch-and-run by Albert Wilson thanks to a poor tackle attempt by Antwon Blake.
Speaking of Blake, teams just continue to target him week after week. At what point do the Steelers move away from him, especially as he continues to get beat and miss tackles?
Boswell was once again a beacon of hope on Sunday, converting both field-goal attempts and moving to 6-of-6 on the year. It's beginning to look like he might have a long-term future here.
Return specialist Dri Archer continues to get better and better each week. Against Kansas City, Archer broke off a 38-yard return and appears closer to breaking the big one. Credit to the Steelers staff for showing patience with him.
Outside of the failed 4th-and-1 decision, Pittsburgh's coaching staff did a good job in this one, for the most part. I'm not sure why it took a whole half for Haley to show some trust in Jones, but once he did, the offense showed some signs of balance and explosion.
Bryant Continues to Be a TD Machine
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Who would have thought a fourth-round receiver who was labeled as a major project would turn out to be the most productive of his class in terms of touchdowns?
Through 12 career games, Bryant has hauled in 11 touchdowns.
According to Steelers Public Relations and Media Manager Dom Rinelli, Bryant's prolific pace puts him in elite company, making him the sixth player in NFL history to have at least 11 touchdowns in his first 12 games.
Bryant did much of that with Roethlisberger under center, so once the star quarterback returns to the lineup, the Steelers can expect more of the same from Bryant on a week-to-week basis.
Brown Joins Elite Steelers Company
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With his 124 yards through the air on six receptions, Brown joined Hall of Fame Steelers receiver John Stallworth (25) and future Hall of Famer Hines Ward (29) with his 20th 100-yard receiving game as a member of the Steelers, according to Rinelli.
This likely would have happened a few weeks earlier with a healthy Roethlisberger, but regardless, hats off to a great receiver for continuing to put up huge numbers while teams continue to try to game-plan to stop him.
When it's all said and done, Brown will probably have around 45-plus games of 100-plus yards receiving in the black and gold should he stay healthy and stick around long enough.
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Landry Jones: 'I've Got to Make More Plays'
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Facing the media for the second time in as many weeks following the game, Jones was poised and did what most quarterbacks do following a loss: placed the blame on himself.
While Jones didn't play as well as he did just one week ago, the third-year quarterback out of Oklahoma was able to move the ball through the air in the second half to help bring the Steelers back.
Jones pointed to some poor third-down throws that he felt he needed to execute better, but for the most part, Jones was solid in the second half in connecting with Brown and Bryant.
Although Tomlin expects Roethlisberger to return next week against Cincinnati in prime time, Jones has proven to the Steelers organization that he is a capable backup quarterback in the NFL.
Mike Tomlin: 'Chiefs Made Plays over the Final 30 Minutes'
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Did they ever.
The Chiefs forced two turnovers and came up with timely third-down conversions in the second half to put away the Steelers.
Tomlin appeared frustrated in his postgame presser, and rightfully so, due to a lack of forced turnovers, poor control of the football and the inability to stop the Chiefs offense numerous times in third-down situations, which is something the Steelers defense has done well the last few weeks.
Despite having a first-time starter under center and at left tackle, the Steelers were in this game in the second half, so there is some positive things to come away from this game.
Sitting at 4-3, the Steelers draw the tough task of taking on the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8 in a prime-time showdown, with the Bengals coming off a bye.
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