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Le’Veon Bell Views Chiefs Matchup As A Statement Game

By Alex Kozora

Posted on October 12, 2017 at 11:49 am

It’s certainly been a bad stretch to be a Pittsburgh Steelers’ fan. Things look doom and gloom right now but a win over the only undefeated team left in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs, sure would turn things around. That’s the approach Le’Veon Bell is taking, telling reporters Sunday is a chance to remind the world the Steelers can still beat anyone.

“This will be a great game to show people what we’re about,” Bell said via the team site. “Obviously, we know we have a tough opponent. Those guys are red hot right now. We go down there to their place, we play well, we come out with a “W,” that’s a great run for us.”

The Chiefs are 5-0, coming off a shootout thriller in a win over the Houston Texans. They’re an explosive offense that does a tremendous job of taking care of the football. Kareem Hunt fumbled the football away on the first play of the season. But they haven’t turned the ball over since. And defensively, they’ll pose similar challenges as the Jacksonville Jaguars. Not the strongest run defense but a physical, aggressive secondary.

For Bell and the Steelers, they know it’s all about finding consistency.

“We haven’t been consistent. Maybe this can be a game where we can start our consistent run. And start showcasing what we’re able to do as a team.”

Bell said the biggest issues are the “nitty gritty” details, things that he said most fans won’t be able to see. He didn’t get into any specifics.

One of the biggest more macro-level numbers is red zone production. They’re down to just 50% on the season, squarely middle of the pack. Look at more recent games, the last three, and that numbers bumps down to 41%, 27th in the NFL. The Steelers were 0-3 in the red zone in last week’s loss.

Versus a Chiefs’ team who is scoring at will, they’re averaging what the Steelers can only wish for, 32.8 points per game, the Steelers will have to find a way to keep up offensively. That’s a statement I don’t think anyone expected us to write at any point this season.