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Pittsburgh Steelers’ Four Stars Of The Game Vs. Kansas City Chiefs

By Larry Snyder

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In a critical matchup, the Pittsburgh Steelers put up 10 points on the scoreboard in each half on Sunday, and defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 20-12 at Heinz Field.

The Week 16 victory saw the Black and Gold not only improve their record to 10-5, but also clinch a playoff spot this season. It is the first appearance for Pittsburgh in the post-season since being upset 29-23 in the wild card round on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012 by Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos.

Mike Tomlin’s squad and Andy Reid’s crew were penalized just four times each in the contest. The Steelers accumulated 40 penalty yards while the Chiefs collected 39 penalty yards from the officials.It was the seventh lowest amount of penalty yardage against Pittsburgh in a game all season.

Let’s take a look at the four players that helped the Black and Gold win their third straight since closing out November with a 35-32 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

1) Ben Roethlisberger had a good day as he was sacked only once during the contest. The 6-foot-5, 241-pound signal caller completed 18 of 25 passes for 220 yards, no interceptions, one touchdown and a passer rating of 112.1.

2) Veteran outside linebacker James Harrison took care of business as he contributed four solo tackles along with assisting on three additional stops and 1.5 sacks. For his efforts, he was named the Steelers Digest Player of the Week.

3) Antonio Brown hauled in seven passes for 72 yards and one touchdown as he was targeted nine times during the game. The Central Michigan product averaged 10.3 yards per catch.

4) Le’Veon Bell contributed to the offense as he had 63 yards on 20 carries and one touchdown on the afternoon. The 6-foot-1, 244-pound running back added a nine-yard reception to the box score.

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Offense Honorable Mention: Tight end Heath Miller hauled in seven passes for 68 yards as he was targeted eight times.

Defense Honorable Mention: Lawrence Timmons had 9 solo tackles and assisted on four more for 13 total tackles. The 6-foot-1, 234-pound right inside linebacker blasted Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles behind the line of scrimmage when Kansas City was trying to make a fourth and inches late in the first half. When strong safety Will Allen piled on for the stop, Pittsburgh had the ball and the momentum at half-time belonged to the Steelers.

Special Teams Honorable Mention: Placekicker Shaun Suisham connected on a pair of 23-yard field goals. The first was at 9:15 of the first quarter, while the second was at 4:04 of the fourth quarter. He also made both of his extra point attempts for a total of eight points.

Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith had respectable numbers as he completed 31 of 45 for a season high 311 yards and no interceptions. However four trips to the red zone did not produce any touchdowns.

While the Chiefs were able to move the ball, the Steelers kept running back Jamaal Charles to 29 rushing yards on nine carries which was his second-lowest total this season.

What the Chiefs (8-7) could not overcome was the sacking of Smith six times and Charles’ fumble in the third quarter for the only turnover of the game. It also led to Pittsburgh’s second touchdown.

Up Next: The Black and Gold close out the season at Heinz Field against the Cincinnati Bengals (9-4-1) on Sunday, Dec. 28. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on CBS.

From The Clipboard: Cincy closes out Week 16 in the NFL when they host the Denver Broncos (11-3) on Monday Night Football…The Panthers (6-8-1) downed the Cleveland Browns (7-8) Sunday afternoon 17-13 in Carolina…The Texans (8-7) beat the Baltimore Ravens (9-6) 25-13 in Houston to close out AFC North action this weekend.

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