Sports

Steelers-Chiefs NFL Wild Card Weekend: What You Need To Know

Can the Steelers pull off a miracle upset against Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes on Sunday?

Cameron Heyward #97 of the Pittsburgh Steelers sacks Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs during the fourth quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on December 26, 2021 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Cameron Heyward #97 of the Pittsburgh Steelers sacks Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs during the fourth quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on December 26, 2021 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH, PA — Having miraculously qualified for the playoffs, the Steelers' reward is to play the number two-seeded team in the AFC playoffs on the road, facing arguably the NFL's best quarterback.

The Kansas City Chiefs are 12.5 point favorites against the Steelers this weekend, making your favorite team the largest wild card underdogs in NFL history. But that's understandable, as the Chiefs thrashed the Steelers 36-10 just three weeks ago.

"By all objective measures, the Chiefs are a better team," Curt Popejoy of Yahoo Sports noted this week.

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"The number of position units where the Steelers have an edge is very limited. Kansas City already blew out the Steelers once this season, and while I concede the Steelers defense is playing better the gap between these two teams is significant."

That's all true. But stunning upsets do happen in the NFL - witness the Jacksonville Jaguars' throttling of the Indianapolis Colts last week that helped catapult the Steelers into the playoffs.

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So while you shouldn't expect a Steelers win on Sunday, realize that stranger things have happened in the NFL and did so just last week. And should they get trounced as expected, be grateful you got to see Ben Roethlisberger play an extra game in what almost certainly is his final season.

Here's what you need to know about the game:

  • Where: Arrowhead Stadium
  • When: Sunday, 8:15 p.m.
  • Forecast: Partly cloudy, temperatures in the low 30s.
  • Last meeting: Dec. 26, 2021, Chiefs won 36-10.
  • All-time series: Steelers lead, 23-13.
  • Streak: Chiefs have won the past two games against the Steelers.
  • TV: NBC, with Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya.
  • Radio: WDVE-FM with Bill Hillgrove, Craig Wolfley, Missi Matthews and Max Starks.

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