PITTSBURGH _ Embarrassed a week earlier in Philadelphia, the Steelers responded in style Sunday night. On an evening in which Kevin Greene brought Styx to help honor his Hall of Fame ring ceremony, the Steelers brought out their big clubs.
The question everyone wanted to know after their thumping by the Eagles: What's wrong with the Steelers?
The answer after their 43-14 crushing of the Kansas City Chiefs at Heinz Field? Nothing.
Ben Roethlisberger threw five touchdown passes, four in a pulsating first half in which they led, 29-0. At one point, he completed 13 in a row; he finished 22 of 27 for 300 yards.
His defense set him up with the first two scores by causing turnovers. Special teams kept the Chiefs deep in their territory on several kicks.
And the memory of their 34-3 loss vanished, just like that.
Le'Veon Bell rang in his first game of the 2016 season with 144 yards rushing and five catches for another 34. He and DeAngelo Williams were often in the game at the same time. Bell set up Williams' 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter by running 44 yards to the two.
Their win also propelled them into a first-place tie in the AFC North Division with the Baltimore Ravens at 3-1, and put them back on pace with the rest of the best in the AFC after unbeaten Denver.
There may never be a perfectly played game, but the Steelers came close to it one week after they had a perfectly poor one.
Their defense came right out of the box with two pressures by Stephon Tuitt and a sack by Cam Heyward on Kansas City's first offensive series. Tuitt forced a fumble on the Chiefs' second series. Heyward tipped a pass that Jarvis Jones intercepted on their third series.
Roethlisberger took those two turnovers and turned them into touchdown passes of 31 yards to Darrius Heyward-Bey and 4 yards to Antonio Brown. He did not stop there. He threw another TD to Brown for 38 yards and finished up a near perfect first half with a 9-yarder to Jesse James.
He added his fifth in the third quarter. It came from the 30. It was thrown perfectly to Markus Wheaton, just as it was last week. Only this time, Wheaton caught it.
The Steelers dominated in every aspect. Playing without starting linebacker Ryan Shazier and safety Robert Golden, their defense harassed Smith and held the Chiefs out of the end zone until 11:11 left in the ballgame when Smith threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill. Kansas City added another with four seconds left on Smith's 3-yard pass to Travis Kelce.
But the Chiefs' offense did little when it counted. The Steelers sacked Smith four times, three by Heyward, after getting just one total in their first three games.
Roethlisberger also did not throw an interception. Kansas City (2-2) tied for the NFL lead with eight entering the ballgame.
The Chiefs came close to scoring for the first time in the third period when they reached the Steelers' 3, but two receivers dropped passes from Alex Smith in the end zone and the Steelers held.
Roethlisberger led an 80-yard scoring drive in the second quarter that ended with him pitching a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight James.
The Steelers defense, embarrassed by the Eagles a week earlier, took it out on the Chiefs in the first quarter, paving the way for a rousing 22-0 lead.
A poor Kansas City punt helped set up the third Steelers score, another touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Brown, this one covering 38 yards.
The Chiefs opened the game with seven consecutive passes, one did not count because of a penalty and another ended in a sack for Heyward. On that first defensive series, Tuitt had two pressures on Alex Smith.
The Steelers first drive began with a deep pass by Roethlisberger from his 5 to Sammie Coates, who made a good catch of a slightly under-thrown pass for a 47-yard pickup.
They were not able to capitalize on it, however. Williams, in the backfield with Bell split out wide, ran 10 yards to the 25 but a holding penalty pushed it back to the 45 and that was pretty much that.
The Steelers defense created an opportunity on Kansas City's second possession when Tuitt forced a fumble by halfback Spencer Ware and Ross Cockrell recovered at the Chiefs' 32. On third down, Heyward-Bey ran from the slot on the left into a wide open end zone to catch Roethlisberger's 31-yard touchdown pass. Wheaton caught a pass for the 2-point conversion, the first time this season they tried it and it was 8-0.
Shortly thereafter, it was 15-0. Kansas City's third possession ended when Heyward tipped a Smith screen pass and Jones intercepted it and returned 20 yards to the four. On the next play, Roethlisberger hit Brown for the touchdown.
