The Kansas City Chiefs ended their season in front of their home crowd at Arrowhead Stadium in a devastating 18-16 loss against the Steelers. The Pittsburgh Steelers will now move on to the AFC Championship to face the New England Patriots.
The Steelers are the first team to win a playoff game without scoring a touchdown since the Indianapolis Colts in 2006. Kicker Chris Boswell was the true hero for Pittsburgh, nailing six field goals for all of the Steelers’ 18 points.
“We have no one to blame but ourselves,” wide receiver Jeremy Maclin said in a press conference.
As the Kansas City defense kept Pittsburgh out of the end zone, the offense did not return the favor. After driving down the field for an easy touchdown on their first possession of the game, the Chiefs’ offense went cold. Quarterback Alex Smith finished with a meager 172 yards passing, with a QBR of 33.3 percent.
No Chief reached 100 receiving yards. Tight end Travis Kelce led the team with 77, but his contributions were undermined by a hot-headed penalty late in the game that canceled out a Smith scramble.
Tyreek Hill, seen by many as an X-factor and a potential gamebreak for KC, was seldom more than a decoy. He finished with a total of 45 all-purpose yards.
The final quarter was the most devastating for Kansas City.
Boswell kicked two more field goals in the fourth quarter, the last one coming at 9:49, bringing the score to 18-10. Kansas City’s ensuing possession would see them move down the field for a long touchdown drive. The possession ended on a one-yard touchdown run from running back Spencer Ware.
On the two-point conversion attempt, the Chiefs ran a pass play, and Alex Smith found tight end Demetrius Harris in the back of the endzone. The play, however, was called back on a holding penalty by offensive lineman Eric Fisher. The penalty moved the Chiefs back to the 12-yard line, and their second attempt at the two-point conversion failed as an Alex Smith pass to Maclin fell incomplete.
After the game, Chiefs players voiced their opinions on the call. Kelce hung the blame for the loss on referee Carl Cheffers, saying, “”Referee No. 51 shouldn’t even be able to wear a zebra jersey ever again,” Kelce said. “He shouldn’t even be able to work at f—ing Foot Locker.”
Alex Smith spoke more carefully to show his displeasure, remarking, “I’ve seen a lot worse not called.”
With 2:43 remaining on the clock, and a timeout and the two-minute warning, the Chiefs were not totally out of the game yet. A quick three and out would have given the Chiefs the ball with an opportunity to win the game. But Kansas City never got that chance, as a third-down Steelers completion to Antonio Brown after the two-minute warning put in a fork in the game.
“These guys are hurting right now, but they need to keep their heads up,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said in a press conference.
Holding the Steelers to six field goals and no touchdowns should have been enough for the Chiefs to win. Instead, their inability to put up points put an end to what could have been a dream season.
_Edited by Eli Lederman |elederman@themaneater.com_
