Chiefs vs. Steelers: 5 Halftime Adjustments for Kansas City

In a game where Pittsburgh has virtually dominated both sides of the ball, the Chiefs have managed to stay in the game as the score reads 13-6 heading into halftime.

With Tyler Palko under center, Kansas City has made several costly mistakes in the first half and has several things it can improve on for the second half. 

1. Give the defense a breather

Sooner or later, Kansas City’s defense is going to get gassed. The Steelers are undefeated this season when they control the play clock, which they have done in the first half. The Chiefs need to avoid second-half turnovers if they want to keep their defense fresh.

2. Bring down Big Ben

Kansas City’s pass rush has done a good job pressuring Ben Roethlisberger tonight, but actually sacking the big quarterback has been very difficult. Big Ben is dangerous as long as he's still on his feet. The Chiefs can’t expect their secondary to stay with Pittsburgh’s receivers on plays that drag on.

3. Force turnovers

Saying that Kansas City’s offense is outmatched is an understatement. If the Chiefs want to pull off an upset in this game, they need to continue forcing turnovers and capitalize on arrant throws by an injured Ben Roethlisberger.

4. Don’t let Palko go deep

In the waning seconds of the first quarter, we all saw exactly why Tyler Palko should not throw downfield, dialing up a perfect pass to Pittsburgh’s Ike Taylor. When Palko mixes in the check down with the run game, the offense seems to get into a rhythm. If they stick with Palko, Kansas City should not stray from this fundamentally sound formula.

5. Put Palko to rest

It’s hard to imagine that Tyler Palko could have a worse performance this week than he did against the Patriots. Unfortunately for Kansas City, the journeyman quarterback is making this nightmare come true. Rookie Ricky Stanzi is definitely worth a look going forward.