Steelers vs. Chiefs: 7 Things That We Learned from Kansas City's 13-9 Loss

The Kansas City Chiefs lost a close one to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12, by the score of 13-9.

KC's defense had a solid game, limiting Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger to under 200 yards passing and holding the Steelers to just one touchdown in the game.

Here are seven things that we learned from the Chiefs at home against Pittsburgh on Sunday night.

Tyler Palko Should Never Be an NFL Starter Again

After watching Palko throw three interceptions for the second straight game as the Chiefs starter, I've decided that he shouldn't start a game ever again.

He's a major liability for KC's offense, considering the fact that he cannot throw deep passes with any accuracy at all.

He looks confused and hurries things when he's pressured and does not even possess the pedigree of a backup QB in this league.

I think that the Tyler Palko experiment as Chiefs QB has already seen its end.

Kyle Orton Needs To Start at QB for the Remainder of This Season

This slide kind of goes along with my previous one about Tyler Palko.

It's clear that the Chiefs have playmakers in their passing offense right now.

What's also clear is that Palko and rookie Stanzi are likely not the answer at quarterback for the rest of this season.

The recently signed Orton should and will start for Kansas City next week at Chicago, and I can guarantee that you will see a big different at the QB position.

New C/G Rodney Hudson Looks Like the Real Deal

When it was learned that veteran guard Ryan Lilja would be Kansas City's game against the Steelers, a rookie had to step in and fill the void along the KC offensive line.

His name was none other than former Florida State star Rodney Hudson.

Hudson did a great job subbing in for the injured Lilja, as he was efficient in both the passing and running game.

Even though he has only started one NFL game, he looks to be every bit the player that the Chiefs were hoping for when they took him in the second round in the '11 NFL draft.

Ryan Succop Has Officially Secured His Job for the Long-Term

Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop started off the '11 season in a funk.

He made only two of his first five field goal attempts, and many were starting to think that this could be his last year in Kansas City.

Since then, he has been on a tear.

The former South Carolina Gamecock has made 14 straight field goals, including three more against the Steelers on Sunday night, proving that he's here to stay as the Chiefs kicker of the future.

The Chiefs Still Have a Pass Rush, Just Not Every Game

Even though the Chiefs defense was only credited with one sack in this game, they still were able to put a lot of pressure on Big Ben.

Tamba Hali was relentless from the right side, even though he appeared to be held on several different occasions by the Steelers' offensive line.

Rookie linebacker Justin Houston even made some noise as he combined with Hali for a sack on a play that didn't count because of a KC penalty on their secondary.

Although the pass rush did better in this game, they will have to continue to improve as the season progresses, or this defense will eventually start struggling like they did in the first few weeks of the season.

Don't Count the Chiefs Defense Out Yet

The Chiefs actually looked a playoff-caliber defense in this game.

They were getting pressure on Roethlisberger, shutting down Mendenhall and the running game and also knocking away several passes in the secondary.

This is exactly the kind of effort that this unit needed after giving up 34 points to Tom Brady the Patriots last week.

There were many people around the league that thought once Eric Berry was out for the season, this defense was toast.

If anything, performances like this against the Steelers have proved to their naysayers that they should not be counted out yet.

The Chiefs Should Have Won This Game

When you really sit down and think about it, the Chiefs should have won this game.

They held one of the better offenses in the AFC to just 13 points and were able to move the ball on the Steelers defense as well.

Unfortunately, KC just couldn't convert drives into touchdowns in the end.

If the season continues to go south for this team, many will point to this game as a potential turning point for the Chiefs.