Steelers demonstrate why they are so dangerous
Three reasons why you don’t want to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs:
Antonio Brown. Ben Roethlisberger. Le’Veon Bell.
The Baltimore Ravens’ postseason hopes ended Sunday night at Heinz Field, where they contained Pittsburgh’s Big Three long enough to manage a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter... but not long enough.
Brown’s four-yard, catch-andstretch touchdown with nine seconds left – he quickly reached out to break the plane of the end zone while collared by Eric Weddle inches shy of the goal line – provided the finishing touch to the 31-27 thriller that settled the latest chapter of one of the NFL’s best rivalries.
That’s what the money players will do for you in crunch time: Prove why they are they are the money players.
Before Brown’s exploits, Bell, who finished with 122 rushing yards, slashed and weaved through the Ravens defense to inflate one drive after another. He scored the other two TDs in Pittsburgh’s 21-point fourth quarter, including a determined 7-yard reception off a Roethlisberger scramble that illustrated his knack for finding daylight in traffic.
Roethlisberger, who threw two picks in the third quarter, elevated his game when it mattered the most. Of course, that included repeated cases where he improvised to make something happen when the plays broke down. That’s always been part of his deal. But it also meant staying composed and playing smart as Pittsburgh produced scoring drives of 75, 90 and 75 yards.
The three of them together, that’s why the newly minted AFC North champs will be so dangerous in January. With their Big Three intact (that’s Big Ben plus two), complemented by an offensive line that ranks as one of the best in the league, the Steelers seemingly will pose the biggest threat to the New England Patriots in the upcoming AFC playoffs.
Sure, the Kansas City Chiefs are rolling. The new dimension provided by explosive rookie Tyreek Hill will be a handful. And the Chiefs can bring a hellacious rush with their defense.
Yet the Steelers, winners of six in a row, have a certain mojo of their own, led by their Big Three. Last winter, the Steelers nearly won in the divisional playoffs at Denver without Bell and Brown, who were sidelined by injuries.
Now Pittsburgh is poised to take another crack at a postseason run while carrying the full deck on an offense that can help overcome the deficiencies of the defense.
When the Ravens took the lead again at 24-20 on fullback Kyle Juszczyk’s 10-yard run, one thing seemed evident: With 1:18 on the clock, they left too much time for Roethlisberger and Co.
The Steelers had them right where they wanted them – with a chance to put a classic game in the hands of their prolific offense. School was out. It was money time.
(USA Today/TNS)
Playoff-bound Chiefs end Broncos’ hopes
Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up a spot in the playoffs on Sunday with a 33-10 victory over the Denver Broncos at a rain-soaked and windy Arrowhead Stadium.
Tight end Travis Kelce and wide receiver Tyreek Hill torched the Denver defense for a pair of early touchdowns, giving the Chiefs a lead they never relinquished.
Hill scored on a 70-yard running play and Kelce produced an 80-yard touchdown on a screen pass from quarterback Alex Smith.
About an hour before the game kicked off, the Chiefs had a spot in the playoffs secured courtesy of Pittsburgh’s victory over Baltimore.
With the loss, the Broncos wiped away their chance of making the post-season and gave the final berth in the AFC field to the 10-5 Miami Dolphins.
The Chiefs are now 11-4 and headed to the playoffs for the third time in the four seasons under head coach Andy Reid.
Kansas City still has a chance to win the AFC West if they can beat San Diego combined with a Denver victory over Oakland next Sunday. The Raiders are one game ahead in the division at 12-3, but the Chiefs beat them twice this season.
The Broncos, now 8-7 will not be able to defend their Super Bowl title. It also ended their streak of consecutive AFC West titles at five (2011-15).
Kelce and Hill combined for 255 offensive yards on 17 touches, as the Kansas City offense rang up 484 yards against a Denver defense that had not allowed that type of opponent production since October 2013.
The Chiefs also forced a pair of Denver fumbles and grabbed a last-play interception, giving up only one touchdown and allowing the Broncos just 246 offensive yards. (Reuters)