At least it wasn't a shutout. Mike Tomlin’s confounding decision to kick a field goal down 30 points late in the third quarter made sure of that, but that almost made the whole ordeal even more embarrassing for the Steelers, routed by the Chiefs, 36-10, Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium. To think, the Steelers (7-7-1) entered the game in the final AFC wild-card spot.
It was eerily reminiscent of what was previously rock-bottom in this up-and-down season, the 41-10 failure to show up late last month in Cincinnati. This time around, the Steelers did much of the same — gave up 100-plus yards rushing, allowed easy windows all day to a pinpoint quarterback, failed to generate pressure and missed tackles left and right. That was just the defense.
The offense was equally inept, Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 159 yards and a touchdown on 25-of-35 passing, plus an interception then a bumbling fumble early in the fourth quarter that let the Chiefs pile it on. Diontae Johnson had an unforced fumble to account for the third turnover and Najee Harris was running into brick walls again long before ending up with 93 yards on 19 carries.
It was over when: The Steelers boarded their flight to Kansas City. Seriously, this wasn’t one of those blowouts where it feels like if one ball goes a different way in the early going, maybe it all plays out differently. No, the Chiefs, now winners of eight in a row to improve to 11-4, are just vastly superior. The Steelers might yet win out against two reeling division rivals, Cleveland and Baltimore, but if this is the buzzsaw that would await at some point in a watered-down AFC playoff field, any longshot hopes of a postseason run can probably be over today, too.
Player of the game: Byron Pringle. The little-known Chiefs receiver was expected to carry a heavier load in this one if Tyreek Hill was sidelined with COVID-19, but instead, Pringle popped off even with Hill healthy. He was Patrick Mahomes’ best target on a day he caught five passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns, the second of which he evaded tackle attempts from Cam Sutton, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Robert Spillane on his 16-yard grab that made it 30-0. Mahomes’ work was done just a few minutes into the fourth quarter or else he could’ve padded his 258 passing yards and three touchdowns with just three incompletions on 30 attempts.
Trending up: Chase Claypool. It doesn’t take much for him to be trending up, given that he was held without a catch in the last game, and the week before was his first-down point seen ‘round the world. He had back-to-back receptions in the first half that served as a reminder of what he can do when he’s playing well, both of which were contested catches and neither of which was followed by a celebration. That’s … progress. Claypool finished with just four grabs for 41 yards but also drew pass interference with 3:50 left in the third quarter on fourth down, another glimpse at the weapon he can be — and will need to be going forward.
Trending down: Roethlisberger. You can look at the paltry numbers in the first half — 88 yards on 12 completions — or you can just use your eyes. He was off on his timing and his accuracy, and for the second week in a row, he didn’t find it in the second half. His interception was a questionable decision on a flea-flicker, and he almost seemed to be locking in on diminutive slot receiver Ray-Ray McCloud, of all people. Perhaps that’s a personnel failure on Matt Canada’s scheme — and make no mistake, Canada had yet another brutal game, too, from his spot in the booth — but Roethlisberger didn't give the consistently slow-starting Steelers much of a chance in a matchup when everyone knew they’d need to score a lot of points.
Next up: Round 2 with the Browns, this time Monday night at Heinz Field, very likely the final home game for Roethlisberger — and one that will still be fraught with playoff implications, hard as it is to believe after such a beat-down.
