7 Keys to Victory in Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 6 Matchup
The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off of a disappointing 30-9 home loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5. And Week 6 looks to be an even bigger challenge, with Pittsburgh headed on the road to face the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.
Given what happened last time out, the Steelers have a lot of work to do if they are going to improve enough to take out the league's last zero-loss team. Here are seven keys to a Steelers victory over the Chiefs on Sunday.
Stop Kareem Hunt
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Twice this season the Steelers defense has allowed over 200 yards rushing to opponents, most recently in Week 5 against the Jaguars, when the team collectively had 231 yards. Of those, 121 belonged to rookie running back Leonard Fournette, who also scored two rushing touchdowns on his 28 carries. The last time this happened to Pittsburgh was in Week 3, when the Chicago Bears totaled 222 rushing yards.
The one thing in common between those two offenses is they are run-first by rule. Therefore, it was a strategy Pittsburgh should have seen coming and been prepared for. Yet they could not stop the run or make the necessary in-game adjustments when the run game began to wear them down.
This is why the Chiefs are so dangerous on Sunday; they also have a high-powered run game, led by rookie Kareem Hunt, who has 609 yards and four rushing scores on 97 carries this season. As such, the Chiefs are averaging 156.2 rushing yards per game and will likely try to continue that streak of success Sunday against the Steelers.
Pittsburgh has failed to find ways to stop the two run-heavy teams it has faced this year, but something must change on Sunday against the Chiefs and Hunt in particular if they are to leave town with a win. While Kansas City's hyper-efficient passing offense, led by quarterback Alex Smith, is doubtlessly something the Steelers are also game-planning to stop, everything starts with the Hunt-centric run game. Cutting that off is the only way Pittsburgh's defense will be able to gain an upper hand on Sunday.
A Balanced Offense
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In Week 5, the Steelers had an unbalanced offense, with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger attempting 55 passes. The team rushed 20 times, with 15 carries for running back Le'Veon Bell. Though the in-game situation did much to inform this—Pittsburgh was playing from significantly behind in the second half, forcing the team into the traditional mindset of focusing on passing more than running—even when the Steelers were down by one point at halftime, they had rushed only 11 times to 21 pass attempts.
The Steelers are at their best offensively when the passing and running games are balanced and work in concert with one another. Granted, that would also require Pittsburgh to either limit the Chiefs' scoring opportunities on Sunday or to establish an early lead, but it also doesn't mean the team would be wise to stop running yet again if they see themselves trailing on the scoreboard.
Pittsburgh cannot willfully turn itself into a one-dimensional team, offensively. When Bell is given a proper workload, he can make an immensely positive impact, one that could turn a scoring deficit into a closer game. Further, it puts the game in Roethlisberger's hands, something that proved disastrous at home in Week 5, when he threw a career-high five interceptions (with two returned for touchdowns) and is typically not a strength when the Steelers are on the road.
Leaning on Bell, even when the conventional wisdom would say not to, gives the Steelers that much-needed balance to their offense, would leave the Chiefs defense guessing and would protect Roethlisberger from himself. It's time for coordinator Todd Haley and the Pittsburgh offense to change their way of thinking about the run game and when and how it is used.
Red-Zone Improvement
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The Steelers had three trips to the red zone in Week 5, but none of them resulted in touchdowns. Pittsburgh only managed to score nine points, by way of three Chris Boswell field goals.
The last time the Steelers met the Chiefs, in last season's divisional round of the playoffs, field goals were all they needed—six, to be exact—in order to defeat Kansas City 18-16. But this is a different Chiefs team, with a much more explosive offense, and Pittsburgh isn't likely to come away victorious by kicking field goals each time it reaches the red zone.
This is easier said than done. The Steelers rank just 23rd in scoring touchdowns when in the red zone, doing so just 50 percent of the time. The good news is they are doing better at scoring touchdowns on the road this season, with a touchdown percentage of 63.64 percent. The bad news, though, is the Chiefs defense has done a good job of limiting opposing touchdowns at home this season, giving up six points only 42.86 percent of the time.
Therefore, Pittsburgh needs not only to get to the Kansas City red zone on Sunday, but they must also do more about it than settle for field goals. Overall offensive efficiency needs to rise, and the offense will need to use all the weapons at its disposal—both in the run game and the passing game—in order to maximize scoring opportunities.
Those opportunities will be there, with the Chiefs' opponents reaching the red zone an average of 3.8 times per game. It's just a matter of whether the Steelers can do anything with them that will determine whether they win this game.
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Protect the Football
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It won't matter how many nice-looking drives the Steelers put together on Sunday or how much balance they successfully integrate into their offense if it all ends in a turnover. Pittsburgh must do a better job of ball security against the Chiefs than it demonstrated against the Jaguars last time out, especially given the Chiefs have a similar defensive strategy to Jacksonville's.
In Week 5, the Jaguars defense came to Pittsburgh with 17 combined sacks and five interceptions. By the time they had left, they had added another two sacks and five interceptions—two of which were pick-sixes.
Before the game, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had thrown only two interceptions and the Steelers collectively had turned the ball over four times. Roethlisberger had been sacked seven times. Now, Pittsburgh's turnovers stand at nine on the season, while the signal-caller has thrown six touchdowns to seven picks and has been sacked nine times.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs have totaled 14 sacks against opposing quarterbacks and forced seven turnovers, four of which were interceptions. With yet another ball-hawking and high-pressure defense ahead, the Steelers offense has to do a much better job keeping the football secure, especially given the far-less friendly Arrowhead Stadium venue.
Turnovers will never be part of a winning formula for any offense, as was made clear by what happened to the Steelers in their most recent game. Pittsburgh's turnover problem cannot continue in Week 6.
Special Teams Awareness
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The Steelers have yet to give up a touchdown to a punt or a kick returner this year, but if they want to keep that streak alive, their kick and punt coverage players will need to keep their heads on a swivel against Kansas City on Sunday.
The Chiefs boast one of the fastest rosters in the league, and they have taken that speed and used it not only to boost their offense but also their return game. Their 12 punts returned this year have netted the team 107 yards, with Tyreek Hill leading the way with eight punts returned for 100 yards and a touchdown. They also have 341 yards on 14 kick returns, with both Akeem Hunt and De'Anthony Thomas boasting over 100 return yards apiece.
In a game wherein field position dictates the tone, tenor and strategy of every single drive, having a powerful group of kick and punt returners is a major advantage. The Steelers have done a good job of not allowing a returner to get too far away from them this year, but they have also not faced a special teams unit as dangerous as Kansas City's.
Their coverage units must maintain the integrity of their tackling lanes—and make the tackles that present themselves to them—in order to avoid a big gain (or worse yet, a touchdown) to the Chiefs' speedy crew of returners.
Focus on Tackling
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Tackling won't only be a special teams concern on Sunday; the Steelers defense will also need to improve its tackling against the Chiefs.
A key reason why the Pittsburgh defense ranks 17th in yards allowed this year is its inability to make tackles on its first or second opportunities to do so. The Steelers as a whole rank 16th in total tackles this season, yet according to Football Outsiders, their defense ranks fourth in broken tackles, with opponents breaking away from a would-be tackle on 15.3 percent of the Steelers' defensive plays.
At the same time, Football Outsiders notes there are only two offenses that have forced more missed tackles than the Chiefs. Their leader is Hunt, with 28 total broken tackles forced (21 as a runner and seven as a receiver). Tight end Travis Kelce has broken five. As has Hill. Fellow receiver Albert Wilson has another three on the year.
Not only will the Steelers defense need to be ready for anything given the Chiefs' myriad offensive options, but they must also be able to make crucial stops once the football is in any of their capable hands. Struggling with tackling will only spell disaster for Pittsburgh, and tackling with discipline and the proper angles is even more important against a Chiefs offense that knows how to make teams pay for failing to tackle well.
Play 'Up'
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The Steelers have rightfully gained a reputation for playing down to what should have been beatable opponents. There have already been examples of this in 2017, such as in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears and in Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. But perhaps the Chiefs' standing as the league's last unbeaten team of 2017 will present the proper motivation for the Steelers to come away victorious.
There is no questioning Kansas City's capabilities. The Chiefs have outscored their opponents 164 to 111 and have the most points in the league through five weeks. They rank second in yardage. They have turned the ball over just once. And they have taken advantage of their red-zone opportunities. There is nothing for the Pittsburgh to underestimate about Kansas City, which means the Steelers must ready the best their playbook has to offer in order to remain competitive on Sunday.
Perhaps a challenge such as this one is just what the Steelers need to get their season back on track. Combined with the big loss to Jacksonville at home in Week 5, Pittsburgh should be dialed in enough to be worthy opponents for the undefeated Chiefs, perhaps giving them the mental edge they need to pull off a statement-making road win.
Advanced stats per TeamRankings.com unless otherwise noted.
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