Steelers vs. Chiefs: Rust Only Thing That Can Stop Steel Curtain Against Chiefs

At the start of the season, a late-November matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs must have struck the Pittsburgh Steelers as a must-win game. 

Nowadays, it's more like a just-don't-lose kind of game. Goodness knows the Chiefs are not as formidable as they once were.

By now, all of us should be up to date on the hard times that have fallen on Kansas City. The Chiefs lost arguably their two best players in the early weeks of the season when running back Jamaal Charles and safety Eric Berry both went down with torn ACLs. A couple weeks ago, quarterback Matt Cassel suffered a right hand injury that knocked him out for the season.

So after starting the season as a threat to repeat as AFC West champs, the Chiefs are now one of the most beatable teams in the NFL.

That should be just fine with the Steelers, who are in the thick of a tight race for the AFC North crown. Any and all victories at this juncture are welcomed victories.

And make no mistake, this is a game that the Steelers should win. The fact that the Chiefs have virtually no offense to speak of bodes well for a Steel Curtain defense that is as steely as ever. The Steelers rank among the best teams in the NFL in virtually every defensive category, so I have a feeling they'll be able to handle the Chiefs.

The Steelers should be fine on the offensive side of the ball as well. Credit where credit is due, the Chiefs are not exactly helpless defensively, but the ineptitude of their offense makes life way too tough on their defense. The longer they have to be out there against Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense, the more likely the Chiefs are to get burned.

Given the circumstances, it actually wouldn't be at all surprising if the Chiefs suffered a second consecutive blowout loss. For what it's worth, I have the final score of this game being 35-7 in favor of the Steelers, though I won't be surprised if the Chiefs fail to score even a single point.

Is there anything that could undo the Steelers, you ask? Are they really that invincible?

Perhaps not, but the only thing that I think can doom the Steelers in this game is rust. They are, after all, coming off a bye week.

Remember, that's not always a good thing. We tend to think teams coming off of bye weeks have an advantage, but the Steelers are just as likely to come out flat as they are to come out looking dominant. It is also conceivable that the Steelers could have looked at Kansas City's 34-3 loss to the New England Patriots and concluded they could do the same without any trouble.

So yeah, rust could be a problem. At least in theory, anyway.

But will rust be a problem in reality?

Honestly, I doubt it. Get ready to watch another prime-time stinker.