The Pittsburgh Steelers advanced to the Divisional Round of the 2016 NFL playoffs Sunday with their 30-12 win over the Miami Dolphins at Heinz Field and that means they’ll play the Kansas City Chiefs on the road this coming Sunday. The Chiefs, however, are currently favored by as many as 2.5-points in that game as of Monday.
According to VegasInsider.com, the Steelers upcoming game against the Chiefs opened as a Pick’em and has since moved to Kansas City being favored by as many as 2.5-points at a few sportsbooks.
With Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger now dealing with an ankle injury that he sustained late in the win over the Dolphins, it’s probably not surprising that several bettors jumped on the Chiefs.
The Steelers beat the Chiefs 43-14 back in Week 4 of the regular season in a game that was played at Heinz Field. Roethlisberger threw for 300 yards and five touchdowns in that game and running back Le’Veon Bell registered 178 yards from scrimmage in what was his 2016 debut following a three-game suspension.
The Chiefs had this past weekend off after securing the No. 2 seed in the AFC during the final week of the regular season. They were 6-2 at home during the regular season with their only two losses being to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans.
The Chiefs offense is led by veteran quarterback Alex Smith, who threw 15 touchdown passes and 8 interceptions during the regular season. His two main receiving weapons are tight end Travis Kelce and rookie wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who also doubles as their return specialist. Hill has three touchdown returns on the season in addition to 9 other scores on offense.
The Chiefs defense is led by outside linebacker Dee Ford, who led Kansas City in sacks during the regular season with 10. The Chiefs defense also led the league in takeaways this season with 33.
The Steelers and Chiefs have met previously in the playoffs just once and Kansas City won that game 27-24 in overtime. That 1993 season Wild Card game was played at Arrowhead Stadium.
While the upcoming playoff game between the Steelers and Chiefs is still several days away, early weather forecasts for Sunday in Kansas City call for light freezing rain in the morning changing to rain showers in the afternoon. A high of 36F is currently expected with winds out of the NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is currently 50%.
