Kansas City Chiefs on the right road, if they’re headed to Houston

Jan 1, 2017; San Diego, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks on the sidelines during the second half of the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. The Chiefs won 37-27. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2017; San Diego, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks on the sidelines during the second half of the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. The Chiefs won 37-27. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports /

I’m glad you asked, and since you’re asking, it’s useful to note that this game’s taking place in a different venue. Pittsburgh’s a different offense on the road. Roethlisberger’s not the same guy away from Heinz Field, but don’t take my word for it, let’s take a look at the situational stats:

Home/Away Att Comp Pct Yds Avg Lng TD Int 1st 1st% 20+ Sck Rate
Home Games 226 160 70.8 1,915 8.5 72 20 5 97 42.9 28 7 116.7
Road Games 283 168 59.4 1,904 6.7 42 9 8 87 30.7 31 10 78.4

Roethlisberger had five road outings with a passer rating below 75. He had a 2-3 record in those games and one of them came over the 1-15 Cleveland Browns. Big Ben’s completion percentage drops more than 11 points when traveling.

He’s also significantly less productive, more likely to be sacked and has a lower yards per attempt average in road games. Quarterback play is just one metric, but might there be other noteworthy numbers to digest how the rest of the team performs on the road?

Again, glad you’re asking, and I have an answer for you. The Steelers defense finished in the top half of the league in every meaningful statistical category (total defense – 10th, scoring defense – 12th, passing defense – 16th and rushing defense – 13th).

Though, a closer inspection reveals that the Steelers defense struggles away from home. In three of Pittsburgh’s five losses (road games), they surrendered a total of 85 points (an average of 28.3 per contest).