As the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers prepare to collide in Week 17, their primetime matchup sets up two storied franchises for an important AFC showdown.
Kansas City enters the game as the NFL's defending champs driven by a desire to complete a historic three-peat. To meet that goal, they're aiming for the AFC's top seed which brings with it home-field advantage throughout the postseason and a first-round bye.
The Steelers are hoping to clinch the AFC North despite dropping two important games to the Baltimore Ravens this season. If they win out, they not only claim the North but also earn the chance to host some postseason action as well.
What will make or break the game for both teams will be the quality of the players available to them. For the Chiefs, they already made known that cornerback Chamarri Conner and left tackle D.J. Humphries will not be available to them given the short week and both players have already been declared out.
For the Steelers, two players who were forced to leave early last weekend are not going to suit up in a short week—having to play on Christmas Day. Both cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and wideout Ben Skowronek will sit out of Week 17 in the hopes of getting healthy for the postseason.
Chiefs' inactive players for Week 17
- Chamarri Conner, DB
- Chris Jones, DL
- Malik Herring DE
- Joshua Uche, DE
- C.J. Hanson, OL
- D.J. Humphries, OL
- Ethan Driskell, OL
Steelers' inactive players for Week 17
- Justin Fields, QB
- Ben Skowronek, WR
- Joey Porter Jr., CB
- Preston Smith, DL
- Dean Lowry, DL