The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves once again trailing the Baltimore Ravens, albeit just by half a game, in the race for the AFC crown after Baltimore’s Turkey Day win over the 49ers. That puts the pressure on the Steelers to win this one and keep pace but once again it looks to be down to those two in the North after both put Cincinnati to the sword in recent weeks.
Getting the start at quarterback for the team who the Steelers take on this week is Tyler Palko, who played his college football at Heinz Field. Palko is likely just keeping the ball warm for Kyle Orton as the Chiefs who, in spite of some horrendous play and poor coaching decisions, are still just two games off the AFC West lead. That said, they’ll need to improve in a hurry if they are to overcome that two game margin.
And so we come to Sunday night, the Steelers and Chiefs both chasing in their respective divisions and both in need of a win. Let’s take a look at the three areas to focus on.
Pittsburgh’s Wide Receivers v Kansas City’s Cornerbacks
If you’ve read any of the Three to Focus on articles I’ve written in the past for a Steelers game you’ll know how big a fan I am of Mike Wallace (+10.5). He’s developed into something quite special with 922 yards through 10 games. His 17.4 yards per receptions average and 6.3 yards after the catch average both highlighting why he is such a big play threat in the Pittsburgh offense. Rounding off his impressive numbers, Wallace has reeled in six touchdowns and forced eight missed tackles while dropping just the one pass. Opposite Wallace, Antonio Brown (+6.1) has put together a very impressive second season. Averaging 14.2 yards per catch, Brown has a reception of more than 20 yards in half of the games he has played in this year. This week they go up against a Kansas City secondary lead by Brandon Flowers (+5.5). Flowers hasn’t quite lived up to expectations this year and, while he has secured four interceptions and broken up another five passes, he is allowing 16.7 yards per catch and has given up eight touchdowns. Opposite him, Brandon Carr (+1.2) is giving up 13.7 yards per catch but has only given up three touchdowns. How these two manage to slow down Pittsburgh’s impressive receivers will be key in this one.
James Harrison v Kansas City’s Pass Blockers
If you’re looking for something positive to say about Kansas City right tackle Barry Richardson (-28.4) he has played every snap for the Chiefs offense this year. The bad news is he hasn’t been very good. That’s perhaps being too kind to be honest and he has been terrible both as a pass blocker and in the run game. He has given up five sacks, two hits and 28 pressures through 10 games. On the other side, Brandon Albert (-0.6) hasn’t been nearly as poor, particularly as a pass blocker where he has given up five sacks and three hits but just 11 pressures. They both have their work cut out for them this week however as they are up against one of the league’s premier pass rushers in James Harrison (+18.0). Harrison missed four games due to injury earlier in the year but has still registered five sacks, seven hits and 12 pressures. The highlight of his season being a nine total pressure performance against Baltimore in his first game back from injury.
The Heath Miller Threat
Heath Miller (+8.8) is our fourth-highest graded tight end so far this year, he’s also the only one in the Top 5 with a positive grade in the passing game, as a run blocker and as a pass blocker. As a receiver he continues to be Ben Roethlisberger’s safety blanket with 74.5% of the passes thrown to him going for completions. His 12.2 yards per reception average is also gaining an average of 5.2 yards after the catch. The one blemish on his season being his four dropped passes but he still represents a significant threat against a Kansas City secondary who’s safeties are struggling heavily.
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