PITTSBURGH -- A few thoughts on the Kansas City Chiefs' 20-12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field:
What it means: The Chiefs fell to 8-7 but stayed alive in the race for one of the AFC's wild-card spots after the Houston Texans beat the Baltimore Ravens. They'll have to win next week's regular-season finale and get some help in order to reach the postseason.
Stock watch: The offensive line and particularly left tackle Eric Fisher and left guard Jeff Linkenbach had trouble protecting quarterback Alex Smith and failed to open even a tiny crease for Jamaal Charles on a fourth-and-short carry late in the first half. Charles was stuffed and failed to get the first down. The Chiefs entered the game with one of the NFL's worst run defenses but did a nice job against Pittsburgh's Le'Veon Bell. Rookie kicker Cairo Santos made each of his four field goal attempts. Charles lost a fumble in the third quarter when the Chiefs were in field goal range. That was his third lost fumble of the season, which is second among NFL running backs to DeMarco Murray of Dallas.
Reid got greedy: Andy Reid had the Chiefs try for a first down on fourth-and-1 from the Pittsburgh 12 and trailing 10-6 late in the first half. The Chiefs were going to get the ball to start the second half, so a field goal would have made sense. But Charles was stuffed for no gain, and the Chiefs came away without any points where three would have helped. The Chiefs would have been playing for a tie rather than trailing by 11 on a late drive deep into Pittsburgh territory.
Game ball: Wide receiver Albert Wilson, an undrafted rookie, was the Chiefs' best offensive player. He had five catches for 87 yards.
What's next: The Chiefs finish the regular season next Sunday with a game against the San Diego Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium.
