Steelers upend Chiefs, clinch playoff berth
Associated Press Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith is sacked by Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward and outside linebacker Jason Worilds during the second half Sunday.
Associated Press Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown breaks the tackle of Chiefs strong safety Ron Parker during the second half Sunday.
Associated Press Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throws a pass during the second half against the Chiefs Sunday at Heinz Field.
PITTSBURGH – The Steelers turned the tables on the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kansas City entered Sunday’s game with the NFL’s top-rated red zone defense and the second-rated offense inside the opposing 20.
Yet, it was the Steelers’ offense, which scored twice on red zone trips, and Pittsburgh’s defense, which held Kansas City out of the end zone on four attempts inside the 20, that wrapped up a 20-12 victory.
The win, Pittsburgh’s third in a row, moved the Steelers to 10-5, and, more important, clinched the team’s first playoff berth since the 2011 season.
“There was such a sense of urgency this week, knowing what was at stake,” said Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward. “We just answered the challenge.”
The challenge was laid out early on by head coach Mike Tomlin.
“Really, (I) just loved the spirit of the defense,” said Tomlin. “We challenged those guys this week. Kansas City has the No. 1 red zone defense in football, so we knew points could be tough down there for our offense. Our defense had to play tough in the red area to keep the playing field level.”
The Steelers recorded a season-high six sacks and limited Kansas City All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles to 29 yards rushing on nine carries.
With its running game limited to 39 yards on 14 attempts, the Chiefs (8-7) had to rely on the passing of quarterback Alex Smith. He completed 31 of 45 passes for 311 yards, but couldn’t get his team into the end zone.
It might have been the Steelers’ best defensive performance of the season.
“I could say that because we sit here right now and those are the feelings,” said Tomlin. “But we’re just trying to do what’s required of us to win.”
The complexion of the game changed on its only turnover.
With the Steelers leading 10-6 midway through the third quarter, Kansas City was driving. But rookie defensive end Stephon Tuitt drilled Charles, who had just caught a short pass, forcing a fumble at the Pittsburgh 28.
“It was great effort from Tuitt,” said linebacker Vince Williams, who recovered the loose ball. “That guy plays with an extremely high motor. He came over and laid a monstrous hit. The ball was just sitting there, and I fell on it.”
Ten plays and 75 yards later, the Steelers took a 17-6 lead when Ben Roethlisberger threw a three-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Antonio Brown.
Roethlisberger, who was 18 of 25 for 220 yards, was shaken up on the play and briefly went to the locker room with a right knee injury but did not miss any playing time.
“Tuitt caused the fumble and we got the ball. That was a huge play,” said Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, who was limited to 63 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. “It changed field position, changed momentum. The game was tight throughout the whole game. It really came down to turnovers and who executed the best in the red zone, and we got the best of them.”
That became apparent when after Kansas City got a 43-yard field goal from rookie Carlos Santos early in the fourth quarter to cut Pittsburgh’s lead to 17-9, the Steelers answered with a 12-play, 70-yard field goal drive that took more than six minutes off the clock.
Shaun Suisham booted a 23-yard field goal, his second of the game from that distance, to give the Steelers a 20-9 lead with just over four minutes remaining.
Even though Kansas City tacked on another field goal in the game’s closing moments, the Steelers were never really challenged by an offense that couldn’t solve Pittsburgh’s defense once it got inside the 20.
“They got us,” said Kansas City head coach Andy Reid, whose team’s postseason hopes are now slim. “They played better than we did and made plays.”
Reid made one of the game’s more curious decisions at the end of the first half. Trailing 10-6 following a second quarter TD run by Bell, the Chiefs drove to the Pittsburgh 12 with 27 seconds remaining in the half.
On fourth-and-inches with just one timeout remaining, Reid, who had run a successful fake field goal earlier in the game, opted to go for the first down instead of kicking a field goal. But Lawrence Timmons and Harrison stacked Charles up in the backfield for no gain and Kansas City came away without any points.
“The defense was fired up,” said Roethlisberger.
Now, the Steelers want to finish their regular season next Sunday with a win over Cincinnati. If that happens, Pittsburgh will secure the AFC North title and at least one home playoff game.
“It means you’re on top of the North,” said Harrison, who had missed the previous two games with a knee injury. “That’s something we’re a little accustomed to doing. We want to get back to that point, to the top. It would be nice to get it. That’s why we play the games. We’ll play Cincinnati next week and see what happens.”
The Cincinnati-Pittsburgh game was moved to an 8:30 p.m. starting time Sunday by the NFL.
Odds and end zones
The Steelers have scored 409 points, seven shy of the team record set in 1979. It’s just the third time in team history they have scored more than 400 points. … Antonio Brown, who had seven catches for 72 yards, now has 1,570 receiving yards this season, a team record. … Tuitt’s forced fumble was the first of his career. He also recorded his first sack in the fourth quarter. … Timmons led the Steelers with 13 tackles.