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Steelers insist they won't be trapped
With the game sandwiched between contests against AFC North Division rivals Cincinnati and Baltimore, it's easy to assume the Steelers (6-3) will overlook lowly Kansas City (2-7).
Coming off a loss to the Bengals, the Steelers insist they are completely focused on playing the Chiefs.
"Rivalries are like LSU and Alabama, LSU and Mississippi. Those are rivalries," said Steelers safety Ryan Clark. "In the NFL, you don't really have rivalries because things change so much. Maybe if a couple of teams are good for a couple of years and physical, but I'm not thinking about Baltimore.
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Sitting a game behind Cincinnati in the division standings, the Steelers better be focused on the Chiefs.
"Kansas City is a tough place to play. Their fans are going to be right there from the national anthem, right into it," said Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward. "If we can jump on them early and take their fans out of it, then I think we'll be fine. But it's always hard to win on the road."
The Steelers are coming off their worst offensive performance of the season. They managed only 226 yards against the Bengals and failed to score a touchdown on four trips inside the red zone.
The Bengals sent multiple blitzes at the Steelers. Though Kansas City has struggled rushing the passer, the Chiefs could try to emulate the Bengals' defensive approach in an effort to confuse Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Bengals sacked Roethlisberger four times and limited him to 20 completions in 40 attempts.
"They brought a lot of stuff. They brought some stuff that we didn't talk about," admitted Steelers guard Chris Kemoeatu. "I think they did a good job of preparing for us. Some of the stuff that they were successful in, I think (Kansas City) might copy."
For first-year Chiefs coach Todd Haley, beating the defending Super Bowl champion would be the biggest win of his career.
Haley, the son of Midway native Dick Haley, was the offensive coordinator for Arizona last season.
Haley said he watched video of last season's Super Bowl for the first time this week.
"It was not pleasant at the end," Haley said, "but I think it's just part of the due diligence of getting ready. Obviously, we are not anywhere near the same team that we were in Arizona so we'll form our own game plan and find our own identity."
Odds and end zones
The Steelers lead the series, 17-9, including a 9-5 record at Kansas City. ... Ward needs 11 points to surpass Jerome Bettis on Pittsburgh's all-time scoring list. Bettis finished his career with 482 points. ... Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace leads all rookies with 453 receiving yards. ... Kansas City is led by Dwayne Bowe's 466 receiving yards. Bowe, however, began serving a four-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs this week. Kansas City's next leading receiver, Bobby Wade, has 226 receiving yards.
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