The Pittsburgh Steelers return home to face the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes following a miserable road stretch. After dropping two games in a row to the Eagles and Ravens, the Steelers can no longer win the AFC’s No. 1 seed, and even the No. 2 is extremely unlikely. But should they win out, they will win the AFC North and secure the No. 3 seed.
To do so, they better hope Acrisure Stadium provides them with a fitful advantage. The Steelers haven’t beaten the Chiefs since Patrick Mahomes took over, currently on a three-game losing streak. But they haven’t played in a couple years and have played mostly in Kansas City.
Mahomes has only played the Steelers in Pittsburgh once, back in 2018, though he was the backup in 2017. This will be his second trip to Acrisure Stadium, and on Monday, he talked about what it’s like to play there and what he anticipates for the game.
“It’s a great environment. I think that’s the best thing about it. It’s one of those true football stadiums, just like Arrowhead, where you know the history of everybody that’s played in this stadium and the history of this franchise”, Mahomes said of the Steelers’ home venue, via the Chiefs’ website. “It’s gonna be rowdy. The fans will be out there. It’ll be a great challenge for us and it’s gonna feel as much like playoff football as you can possibly get”.
The only time Patrick Mahomes played the Steelers in Pittsburgh, he was, uh…good. Embarrassingly good, in fact. He went 23-of-26 for 326 yards and six touchdowns to zero interceptions, taking just one sack. The home team made it interesting, but not interesting enough, losing 42-37.
In fact, by the early moments of the fourth quarter, the Chiefs had secured a 42-28 lead. The Steelers secured multiple ties at 21-21 and 28-28, but this proved too much. After Mahomes’ fifth and sixth touchdown passes, the Steelers managed a safety, and then one touchdown. The defense (and special teams) could not get the ball back, however. Kansas City punted with 11 seconds to spare, but Tyler Matakevich was flagged for roughing the kicker.
Since that game, the Steelers and Chiefs have only played twice, both times in Kansas City during the 2021 season. Patrick Mahomes dominated those games almost as much, and the scoreboard was even more lopsided. The day after Christmas, they won 36-10. The playoff rematch saw the Chiefs dominate 42-21.
In all, Mahomes has a 14:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a 3-0 record against the Steelers. He has put up at least 36 points each time he has played the Steelers. And he put up a near-effortless six-touchdown performance in his lone start in Acrisure Stadium.
Tomorrow, the Chiefs have the No. 1 seed to play for, so they have plenty of motivation. While Mahomes isn’t having another MVP season, Kansas City has proven a nearly impossibly tough out. Coming off a pair of multi-score losses, this is not the cure-all the Steelers would like. But perhaps the rowdy crowd can help.
