PITTSBURGH -- A couple of thoughts from the Pittsburgh Steelers' 20-12 win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Heinz Field:
What it means: The Steelers' playoff drought -- and missing the postseason two consecutive seasons is a drought for an organization that has six Lombardi trophies -- is over. The Steelers clinched no worse than a wild-card berth in the playoffs after a gritty if unspectacular showing against the Chiefs gave them their 10th win of the season. The Steelers (10-5) will play for the AFC North title next Sunday against visiting Cincinnati regardless of what the Bengals do Monday night against the Denver Broncos. The Steelers' first three-game winning streak in the middle of the season has put them in position to secure home-field advantage in the wild-card round of the AFC playoffs.
Stock watch: The Steelers’ defense was too generous in ceding passing yards to an offense that rarely throws the ball downfield. But the unit went Scrooge on the Chiefs any time Kansas City got close to the Steelers’ end zone. The Chiefs netted just six points from three red zone trips in the first half, and Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles was stuffed for no gain on a fourth-and-1 from Pittsburgh’s 12-yard line late in the second quarter. The Steelers' defense played one of its best games of the season as it contained Charles, who managed just 29 rushing yards on nine carries, and sacked Alex Smith six times. Pittsburgh also caused a game-changing turnover in the third quarter when rookie defensive end Stephon Tuitt forced a Charles fumble that linebacker Vince Williams recovered.
Big Ben pays price for TD: The Steelers and Roethlisberger received a major scare after the 11th-year veteran threw a touchdown pass near the end of the third quarter. Chiefs defensive tackle Jaye Howard drilled Roethlisberger he threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Antonio Brown. He stayed down before limping to the Steelers’ sideline as a hush fell over Heinz Field. Roethlisberger went to the Steelers’ locker room, but he quickly returned and didn’t miss a snap. In his first series after hurting his knee, Roethlisberger led the Steelers on a 12-play, 70-yard scoring drive that Shaun Suisham capped with a 23-yard field goal. Roethlisberger completed 18 of 25 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown. He did not throw an interception for the third consecutive game.
Game ball: Outside linebacker James Harrison dominated Chiefs left tackle Eric Fisher early and often in playing his best game of the season. Harrison abused Fisher, the first overall pick of the 2013 NFL draft, racking up seven tackles, including two for loss, and 1.5 sacks. He was also credited with two quarterback hits.
What’s next: The Steelers host the Bengals next Sunday in a 1 p.m. ET game that could be moved to the 4 p.m. ET time slot or even later to accommodate TV scheduling.
