Depot Roundtable: Week 17 Steelers Vs. Chiefs Preview

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a (hopefully) good night the Pittsburgh Steelers provide on Christmas Day Wednesday at Acrisure Stadium in a terrific headlining showdown on Netflix.

The Steelers come into the matchup losers of three of their last five, including two in a row. They have lost some of their shine from earlier in the season, in large part due to injuries. The Kansas City Chiefs, on the other hand, just keep winning. Sitting at 14-1, Kansas City is in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs and looks like it has a legitimate shot to achieve NFL history with a three-peat of Super Bowl titles.

On Sunday though, in the friendly confines of Acrisure Stadium on the North Shore, none of that matters. The Steelers just have to find a way to stop their skid and beat one of the best teams in the league to remind everyone how good they are themselves. Easier said than done, but that’s the task in front of them.

Here at Steelers Depot, we’re doing something new this season. While Alex Kozora and Dave Bryan give their in-depth breakdown and preview of the game weekly on The Terrible Podcast, Joe Clark, Ross McCorkle, Scott Brown, Troy Montgomery, and I are doing a weekly roundtable, answering key questions ahead of each game.

Today, we examine the Steelers’ Christmas Day Week 17 matchup at Acrisure Stadium against the Chiefs.

QUESTION 1: WHO IS THE STEELERS’ X FACTOR AGAINST THE CHIEFS?

Josh Carney: LB Patrick Queen. Following the loss to the Ravens, Queen called out the Steelers’ defense for its sloppy play and struggles with communication. While it was admirable from Queen, who is finding his leadership voice in Pittsburgh, he’s been a big part of the problem in both categories in recent weeks.

Maybe he was calling himself out in the process without saying so. Regardless, Queen needs to clean things up, and fast. He’s missing far too many tackles and has had communication issues in coverage all season, which showed itself again on Saturday against the Ravens. Now, he’s staring down Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and the Chiefs.

If Queen can get it back together on a short week and play at the level the Steelers expect from him, the rest of the defense should fall in line, especially if key pieces return from injury. All eyes on No. 6 on Wednesday for me.

Joe Clark: RB Jaylen Warren. Warren out-snapped Najee Harris on Saturday against the Ravens, and while the Steelers should lean on Harris more against the Chiefs, Warren will still be key. He’s still the team’s third-down back and with the Chiefs’ pass- ush being pretty solid, Warren’s role as a pass blocker will be important. The team could also use a few chunk runs, which Warren has been good for the last few weeks, and if he has a good game, it should bolster the whole offense.

Ross McCorkle: WR Calvin Austin III. It seems like the Russell Wilson-Calvin Austin III connection took a step forward while George Pickens was out of the lineup. Hopefully that makes for a better connection once Pickens is back and more attention is given to him by opposing defenses. Austin has had nine receptions over the last two weeks, The most he had in any two-week span previously was five. Mike Tomlin said his emergence has nothing to do with the injury to Pickens, so hopefully that means big things for this passing offense with both of them in the lineup.

Scott Brown: TE Pat Freiermuth: The math simply does not add up here. The Steelers made Freiermuth the NFL’s ninth highest-paid TE in early September and have since woefully underused him. He has 59 targets through 15 games. Seven tight ends have more catches than that.

Freiermuth averages slightly more targets (4.17) when George Pickens plays than when the Steelers’ No. 1 WR is out (4). That is not enough no matter what the circumstance. Not sure why OC Arthur Smith is giving Freiermuth the Kyle Pitts treatment, but that has to change.

Troy Montgomery: WR George Pickens. It’s a Christmas miracle. While Pickens has missed the last three games due to injury, he’s expected to be back this week. That’s the best present the Steelers could wake up to. Without Pickens, their offense has been ugly. Having him back should provide them with a huge boost.

The Chief have been solid defensively for much of this year, but lately, they’ve struggled a little more. Russell Wilson beat the Chiefs last year, in part thanks to his dynamic wide receivers. Maybe he can replicate that performance with Pickens back in the lineup.

QUESTION 2: WHAT IS THE MATCHUP TO WATCH IN STEELERS-CHIEFS?

Josh Carney: Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith vs. Chiefs LT Joe Thuney. Some of you are probably questioning why in the world I listed Thuney as the LT here, and that’s understandable. He’s been a LG his entire career. But with injuries at the tackle positions, the Chiefs kicked Thuney out to LT against the Texans Saturday, and they don’t appear to be getting any healthier at tackle for Christmas Day.

So, that’s a juicy matchup for Alex Highsmith, who is coming off of a four-tackle, one-sack, one-forced fumble performance against the Ravens. Since returning from injury in Week 14 against Cleveland, Highsmith has been quite impactful. He has a sack in three straight games and has 15 pressures.

Thuney allowed four pressures against the Texans, and it won’t get any easier with Highsmith on Christmas Day.

Joe Clark: CB Trent McDuffie vs. WR George Pickens. Pickens is expected to play against Kansas City, but his return will come against McDuffie, who might be the NFL’s best corner. While the Steelers will be excited to get Pickens back, they might not have a ton of success getting him the ball if McDuffie, who has three interceptions over the last two weeks, is shadowing him, which he likely will. It could lead to the Steelers’ passing offense looking similar to the way it has the past few weeks, which wouldn’t be ideal.

But if Pickens can win the matchup, things will tilt in Pittsburgh’s favor. It’s one I’ll have my eye on, and it could define the game.

Ross McCorkle: DeShon Elliott vs. Travis Kelce. Elliott seems on track to return from his hamstring injury, and he figures to be a big part of stopping Travis Kelce. This year hasn’t been as impressive statistically for Kelce, but we have all seen him feast on the Steelers before. We can probably throw Patrick Queen into the mix here as well. DC Teryl Austin mentioned the need to show Kelce and the Chiefs multiple ways of stopping him.

Scott Brown: DT Keeanu Benton vs. Chiefs’ IOL. Cameron Heyward needs some help up front. Benton hasn’t been impactful enough after a promising rookie season, and the Steelers need to stop the run first and foremost Wednesday after getting gashed in Baltimore.

The strength of the Chiefs’ offensive line is in the interior. Even if by default. RB Isaiah Pacheco is a lot like Jaylen Warren. Runs with a Santa Claus-sized chip on his shoulder. Also has a nice blend of burst and wiggle. He is rounding back into form following an early-season injury and is now complemented by a rejuvenated Kareem Hunt. The Steelers sleep on this run game and shame on them.

Troy Montgomery: Steelers CBs vs. WR Xavier Worthy. Worthy is a player the Steelers are going to need to keep track of all game. He might be a rookie, but he recorded the fastest 40-yard dash time in the history of the NFL Scouting Combine. His 4.22 speed makes him a threat to score on any play.

While Worthy hasn’t been incredible throughout the season, he’s come on strong over the last few weeks. The Steelers’ secondary is dealing with several injuries, so all of their healthy corners need to be at their best. If miscommunication plagues them again, Worthy could blow the game wide open for the Chiefs.

QUESTION 3: WHAT IS THE BIGGEST KEY TO THE GAME FOR THE STEELERS?

Josh Carney: Clean up the tackling. Over the last two games in a span of six days, the Steelers have missed a combined 36 tackles defensively. After being one of the best tackling teams in football over the first 13 games of the season, Pittsburgh has completely fallen off.

Fittingly, that falloff has come at the same time that safety DeShon Elliott — the best tackler on the team — has missed the last two games. It’s not a direct correlation, but it’s notable. Guys are just getting sloppy, and it’s snowballing, leading to chain-moving plays and keeping the defense on the field.

Clean up the tackling and shore up some communication issues, and they can be right back to being one of the better defenses in football.

Joe Clark: Run the dang ball. The rushing attack hasn’t been great lately, and the Steelers can use the run to open up the pass. With George Pickens likely back, teams won’t stack the box as heavily against the Steelers, and it should open up their run game. If they can find success on the ground early, that will be key.

Ross McCorkle: Explosive plays. The Steelers have really struggled to find explosive plays as much as they were when George Pickens was in the lineup. Now that he is likely back, it’s time for those to come back. It’s the missing piece that makes the whole offense operate. Gaining chunk yardage against this defense will be tough, but Pickens is always open, even when he’s covered.

Scott Brown: Play complementary football. The Steelers did the opposite in Baltimore. The defense did not come close to bailing out QB Russell Wilson after his lost fumble at the Ravens’ 4-yard line. Wilson wasted little time making Minkah Fitzpatrick’s timely interception, his first in almost two calendar years, a footnote.

The Steelers don’t have to play their most complete game of the season to knock off the Chiefs. They do need their offense and defense to play off each other – not against one another in critical junctures. A game-changing play on special teams would not hurt either.

Troy Montgomery: Communicate better on defense. At this point in the season, there’s no reason for the Steelers to be crumbling defensively like they are. Yes, they’re dealing with injuries, but so is everyone else. The communication issues cannot continue this week. That’s just asking for Patrick Mahomes to light them up.

Mahomes may not be in the MVP race like he normally is, but he’s still the most dangerous quarterback in the NFL. He isn’t likely to miss any open shots the Steelers give him. There’s no reason to give Mahomes any freebies.

QUESTION 4: WHAT IS YOUR PREDICTION FOR STEELERS VS. CHIEFS?

Josh Carney: After two ugly losses in a row, and a rough skid of three losses in the last five games, the Steelers are reeling, and some of that is due to injuries to key guys. If those pieces, such as George Pickens, DeShon Elliott, Donte Jackson and Larry Ogunjobi can return this week, the Steelers’ chances are good to beat the Chiefs on a short week.

I’m just not banking on it, though. It’s important to be healthy for the playoffs, not rush back for a ridiculous Christmas Day game on a short week just for TV ratings on Netflix against the best team in football. Thanks, NFL. If you can’t tell, bah humbug. Chiefs 24, Steelers 16

Joe Clark: The NFL screwed the Steelers with this schedule. With both teams having the same amount of rest, I’m gonna go with the more talented team, and that’s the Chiefs. While I think the Steelers are well-equipped to beat Kansas City in a playoff matchup, the circumstances this week are a little bit ridiculous, and I think Kansas City will pull it out. Blame the NFL for this one. Chiefs 23 Steelers 20

Ross McCorkle: I’m not sure I’m feeling a Christmas miracle for the Steelers against the 14-1 Chiefs. They are more beatable than their record indicates, but that defense is going to make life very uncomfortable for Russell Wilson and the offense. The Steelers haven’t done so well picking up pressure, and the Chiefs love to send extra guys. If the Steelers can’t make them pay, it could be a long day. Chiefs 21, Steelers 17.

Scott Brown: The Steelers must control the ball. Not to play keep away from Patrick Mahomes as much to pick up a gassed and beat-up defense. This game is a brutal turnaround for each team (player safety my ass, NFL). Who knows what it will look like. The uglier the better for the home team. Steelers 20, Chiefs 17

Troy Montgomery: Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone. To celebrate, the Steelers are going to play the best team in the AFC and the only team that seems to be better than them in one-score games this season. That’s sure to make this maybe the least relaxing Christmas in recent years.

Things look bleak for the Steelers, but they have the pieces to give the Chiefs some trouble. With this game being in Pittsburgh, I can see it not being a blowout. However, it’s tough to envision the Steelers winning after how they’ve played recently. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but John McClane isn’t coming to the rescue this Christmas. Chiefs 30, Steelers 24.