Chiefs Playoffs Hopes: Key NFL Afternoon Games Affecting KC

Nov 17, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Kelvin Beachum (68) waves to fans as he leaves the field after his team defeated the Tennessee Titans 27-24 during the second half at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Time: Noon

Line: Steelers, -4

Chiefs Impact: Medium

The last of the 7-4 wild card contenders, Pittsburgh has a losable game at home today against the struggling Saints. Yes, the Saints are 4-7 but they still have Drew Brees and they are still, miraculously, in the thick of a NFC South division title race. A win is a must for New Orleans and they have the head coach and quarterback to pull off a win in Pittsburgh.

Still, this game doesn’t quite hit the impact to the Chiefs in the same way the previous to games did. First, KC has the chance to beat the Steelers in three weeks in Pittsburgh. So long as the Chiefs stay within a game of the Steelers, the Chiefs control their own destiny against them because they’ll have the head to head matchup. KC has some room for error with them as a result.

This doesn’t mean a Steelers loss wouldn’t be beneficial to the Chiefs. Any extra wiggle room at this stage of the game would be very nice to have so definitely root for the Saints to pick up the win. But when it comes to ranking the games of importance today, you should have the SD/BAL and CLE/BUF games rated higher.

Verdict: Root for New Orleans