Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers vs. Chiefs: Five questions with the enemy

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Steelers face a tough opponent in their Sunday Night Football debut and need a win to rebound from a tough loss last week.

Dec 21, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid (left) greets Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin (right) at mid-field after their teams played at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 20-12. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Throughout the season Still Curtain will team up with the opposing team from the FanSided Network to get a little intel and perhaps do a little predicting and/or trash talking for the upcoming game.

Today we have Benjamin Almquist of KC Kingdom, the Kansas City-themed site from the FanSided Network. Benjamin is here bringing us the info on those ball-hawking Chiefs defenders as well as his thoughts on Andy Reid and Alex Smith. He also provides us with a prediction for the game with score.

The Chiefs have been inconsistent through the first three games, getting that come-from-behind win against the Chargers to top it off but then coming up short against Houston before feasting on the Jets. Has the real Kansas City Chiefs team established themselves yet or is it still a work in progress?

The Chiefs have started slow in both 2014 and 2015, so this is an unpleasant expectation. It’s probably safe to say that the Chiefs team we are seeing right now will be very different than the team we see in late November and December. A lot of that has to do with the absence of star pass rusher Justin Houston.

The Chiefs defense is supposed to be based on the pass rush, but without Houston it isn’t that great. So now the Chiefs are adjusting, and the Jets found that out last week. Chiefs fans expect the offense to get better as well. KC showed some of what we expected during the comeback in Week 1, but other than that it has been quiet. That should change here soon though, especially with the return of Jamaal Charles.

Next: How good is the defense?

What was the key to generating 8 turnovers against the Jets last week? Was it more about the mistakes the Jets were making or about the right things the Chiefs were doing?

Aug 15, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs coach Emmitt Thomas against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL football game at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Chiefs have a young corps of defensive backs who play very opportunistic football. It can leave them open to mistakes at times, but it can also produce what we saw last week. The Chiefs were simply moving faster and playing harder than the Jets.

A lot of this is about coaching. Chiefs DB Coach, Emmitt Thomas, is the team’s all-time leader in interceptions…and he makes sure to remind his secondary of that every year. These young guys are taking it as a challenge. Expect them to be aggressive this week as well.

Next: Who should worry the Steelers?

Who should Steelers fans be most worried about on Sunday night?

Sep 25, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters (22) celebrates after intercepting a pass in the end zone during the second half against the New York Jets at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 24-3. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

I love the match ups the Chiefs have on offense. Travis Kelce, Jeremy Maclin, and Spencer Ware are all capable of having big games this week. The return of Jamaal Charles could also be big. On top of that, the Chiefs have started using their dangerous 3 TE formation more.

However, the Steelers also have an offense that can have a big day. I think it will be a high scoring game, so that means the team that makes the key defensive play will likely be the winner. So the man to watch is Marcus Peters. Peters may very well be the next superstar cornerback in the NFL.

Next: Which coach is worse with the clock?

Who has worst clock management skills, Mike Tomlin or Andy Reid?

Mike Tomlin has his share of troubles with the clock, but let’s give the king his due here. Andy Reid wrote the book, the sequel, the cliff notes, and your book report about poor clock management.

I’m convinced he lives in a perpetual day dream of being in a bad Dolph Lundgren movie where nothing can happen until the clock on the bomb reads 0:05. Need an example?

This past week against the Jets, the Chiefs got the ball back with 2:00 to go in the first half and all three timeouts, and getting the ball to start the second half. Perfect scoring opportunity. So what do we do? Short pass to Kelce, short pass to West, run Ware up the middle…we are now at our own 29 yard line with only 45 seconds left. Hey, maybe we should use a timeout!

Now, with 71 yards to go in under a minute, we begin our two minute offense. Face palm. That two minute offense, of course, consists of two incomplete passes down the field and a sack on third down. An ideal scoring opportunity at the end of the half ended at the Chiefs own 32 yard line as time ran out (while we still had two timeouts)…and not because the offense couldn’t move the ball.

Next: Game Prediction

What is your prediction, with score, for the game?

Dec 21, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) just misses a catch as he is guarded by Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jamell Fleming (30) during the second half at Heinz Field. The Steelers won the game, 20-12. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

I think this is going to be a high scoring game. The Steelers offense is one of the best around, but I don’t see any way their defense stops the Chiefs. However, I’m going to give the Steelers the edge on this one as the Chiefs don’t seem to be firing on all cylinders yet. Steelers 34 – Chiefs 31

There you have it Steeler Nation. What would you have asked differently? Check out KC Kingdom for my answers to Benjamin’s questions.

Be sure to keep locked into Still Curtain for all of your Steelers game day wants and needs.

Here we go Steelers! Here we go!