Kansas City Chiefs Fall To Pittsburgh Steelers In Must-Win Game

I’d like to buy an offensive line, please.

The Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 20-12, which means the Chiefs are on life support for the playoffs. The Ravens loss to the Houston Texans means the Chiefs still are mathematically alive to make the playoffs with a win and some help next week but the odds are not great on that front.

Today’s game is pretty simple: Pittsburgh has an offensive line and the Chiefs do not.

KC’s offense could do nothing again as the Chiefs couldn’t run the ball (2.8 yards per carry) and couldn’t protect Smith (sacked six times). In the moment it’s easy to blame play calling and Alex Smith and the wide receivers, but there’s not much you can do if your offensive line cannot block anyone. This has been the Chiefs achilles heel all season and it is the reason why the Chiefs went from a surefire playoff team a month ago to basically out of it.

Some good news is Albert Wilson and Dee Ford had some good moments. Ford got a good pass rush on Ben Roethlisberger and forced what looked like a potential fumble. He didn’t get as many snaps as last week but he’s at least flashing the promise worthy of a first round pick.

Wilson caught five passes for 87 yards in replacement of Donnie Avery. His continued development is a good sign for a team that desperately needs something at wide receiver. John Dorsey is likely to sign a guy and draft a guy to help rebuild the receiver position but at least he’s adding to Bowe and Wilson as oppose to just Bowe.

Those positives still don’t take the sting out of the Chiefs’ collapse in the second half of this season. You’ve got to wonder how different this season would be if Jeff Allen and Derrick Johnson had not gotten hurt in week one.

Alas…