Pittsburgh Steelers vs Kansas City Chiefs Betting Preview
Cap off an exciting day of football Sunday with an AFC Wild Card matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers 9-7-1) and the Kansas City Chiefs (12-5). The Chiefs will host this one at Arrowhead Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 pm ET.
Needing anything but a tie to get into the playoffs, the Steelers narrowly avoided disaster last week when the Raiders defeated the Chargers in overtime. This came after they took down the Baltimore Ravens 16-13 in overtime in Week 18.
In the win, Ben Roethlisberger threw for 244 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. Chase Claypool caught the lone touchdown reception.
The Chiefs come into the playoffs red hot as they have won nine of their last ten games. Last weekend, they took down the Broncos on the road 28-24.
Patrick Mahomes threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns in the win. He also led all rushers with 54 yards on nine carries.
The Chiefs are heavy favorites playing at home. They are -720 to win while the Steelers’ moneyline sits at +520. The spread features Pittsburgh +12.5 (-106), and the over/under for total points is 46.
More Odds
The Chiefs have the second-best odds of winning Super Bowl LVI at +450. The Steelers are +9000 to win it all.
By The Numbers
Kansas City has the stronger of the two offenses. They currently rank fourth in scoring averaging 28.2 points per game. The Steelers rank 21st averaging 20.2 points.
Defensively, it is again the Chiefs with the edge. They rank eighth in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 21.4 points per game. The Steelers rank 20th allowing 23.4 points per game.
Roethlisberger Hoping To Extend His Career Another Game
While it has not been made official, the expectation is that whenever the Steelers are knocked out, it will end Ben Roethlisberger’s illustrious career. On Sunday, he will hope to extend it by at least one more game.
This season, Roethlisberger has thrown for 3,740 yards, 22 touchdowns, and ten interceptions. His two favorite receivers this year have been Diontae Johnson (1,161 yards, eight touchdowns) and Chase Claypool (860 yards, two touchdowns).
It will also be interesting to see the status of JuJu Smith-Schuster. He has been out for the last three months after having shoulder surgery; however, the Steelers have designated him for return from the injured reserve, and he is questionable for Sunday.
On the ground, the team is led by rookie Najee Harris. He has rushed 307 times for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns. He also has 74 receptions for 467 yards and another three scores.
If the Steelers hope to win, though, it will likely come down to defense. Expect T.J. Watt to wreak havoc on the Chiefs. In Week 18, he actually tied the record for most sacks in a regular season, a record held by Michael Strahan, at 22.5.
If he can make Patrick Mahomes uncomfortable, the Steelers may have a shot.
Kansas City Looks For Home Magic
The Chiefs were 7-2 this season when playing at Arrowhead Stadium, and on Sunday, head coach Andy Reid will look to stay strong at home as they take on the Steelers.
Leading the way on offense is quarterback Patrick Mahomes. This season, he has thrown for 4,839 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He has also rushed for another 381 yards and two scores.
As has been the case over the last several years, Mahomes’ favorite targets are Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce. Hill has 111 receptions this season for 1,239 yards and nine touchdowns.
Kelce has added 92 receptions for 1,125 yards and nine touchdowns.
Defensively, the team is led by Nick Bolton (112 tackles), Chris Jones (nine sacks), and Tyrann Mathieu (three interceptions).
Take The Chiefs To Win, But Can They Cover?
It is hard to envision a scenario where the Steelers can pull out the upset. The bigger question is whether they can cover the spread.
In Week 16, these two matched up at Arrowhead Stadium, and the final score was 36-10. While Mahomes was efficient and threw for three touchdowns, Roethlisberger struggled. He threw for just 159 yards, one touchdown, and an interception.
There isn’t much optimism that things will be much better this time around. While 12.5 is a lot to spot another team in the playoffs, take the Chiefs to both win at home and to cover the spread.
