Three games, 11 days, one goal: Kansas City Chiefs seek top seed against Steelers
By Calvin Silvers
The Kansas City Chiefs prepare for their third game in 11 days as they head to Pittsburgh for a Christmas day matchup against the Steelers, aiming to avenge last year’s holiday loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
A shortened schedule brings injury concerns, especially with quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“I feel good. I mean, obviously, we haven’t done a ton as far as getting out there on the practice field, but I feel like I can move around and do what I need to do, and now we’ll get to get to a little bit faster pace and see where I’m truly at,” Mahomes said. “ I think the ankle should be in a better place.”
The short week also limits the Chiefs’ film preparation, but head coach Andy Reid noted that some coaches began scouting Pittsburgh even before Saturday’s game against the Houston Texans.
For linebacker Nick Bolton however, the defense embraces shortened weeks, expecting the matchup could be decided by physicality over strategy.
“I kind of like short weeks, you kind of just go out there and just play,” Bolton said. “I think it comes down to man versus man, less schematics and more physicality. If you play this game on defense you kind of like those.”
For the offensive line, this will mark a third straight game facing a pressure-heavy defense designed to disrupt the quarterback. Trusted All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney slid to tackle last week, but with star edge rusher T.J. Watt lining up for the Steelers, the Chiefs expect another tough test in the trenches.
“The offensive lines got another big challenge,” Reid said. “I thought they fared pretty good last week, did a nice job for the most part. You know, they have to do it and do it again, but that’s all part of this. They know that and they take that responsibility seriously.”
A lot of pressure could be lifted after this contest for the Chiefs, as a victory will lock up the number 1 seed in the AFC, granting the team a bye and home-field advantage throughout.
“I don’t think you talk about it, but everybody knows I mean, you want to get that one seed to get that bye and so you get that and you have home-field advantage as well,” Mahomes said. “At Arrowhead, which we feel like is a huge advantage for us, but you can’t put all your attention to it.”
