This is the perfect matchup for the Kansas City Chiefs—at least in theory.
Of all the ways the AFC playoff picture could have unfolded for the Chiefs, short of actually recapturing the top overall seed and thereby a first-round bye, the gift of playing the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round is just about as good as it gets for Chiefs Kingdom. Of any entrant into the postseason from either conference, the Steelers look like the least deserving and they were just throttled by the Chiefs in the regular season only three weeks ago.
It was Week 16 in which the Chiefs put up 36 points against the Steelers defense and held Ben Roethlisberger and company to only 10 points. That was without rookie linebacker Nick Bolton and All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce. Both of those players will be available on Sunday night.
Yes, the Steelers did win their next two games to force their way into the playoff picture, but even those wins didn’t look great as they were playing seriously depleted teams within the AFC North. Of course, the Chiefs can’t afford to overlook anyone given the week-by-week nature of the playoffs, but if they’re going to feel confident at any point, this is it.
Chiefs vs Steelers Odds in Wild Card round
The Wild Card round betting odds on WynnBET have the Chiefs as 13-point favorites over the visiting Steelers, which sounds outrageous that any two playoff-caliber teams would be so far removed from one another. However, the last meeting didn’t inspire much confidence about Pittsburgh’s ability to compete and no one can blame them on either side.
The Chiefs have -700 money line odds, while the Steelers are the underdog at +500. The total for the game is set at an over/under of 46.5 points.
Chiefs vs Steelers Prediction in Wild Card round
Given that the Chiefs created a 26-point differential between the franchises just three weeks ago, it’s hard to imagine that the Steelers are going to find a way to overcome their shortcomings and surprise Kansas City enough to pull off a road upset at Arrowhead over the defending AFC champions. Big Ben was fortunate enough to stumble into the postseason in his rumored final year, but that’s as far as he’s going to get.
Prediction: Chiefs 27, Steelers 13
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