Pittsburgh Steelers Meet the Opponent: Kansas City Chiefs

Defense

The Chiefs defense has seen some turnover this year, especially in the defensive secondary. Marcus Peters was shipped to the Rams, which had a lot of fans upset, and perhaps rightfully so. Peters attained 19 interceptions in his first three seasons, good enough to lead the league in that time frame.

Kansas City also saw four other players in the defensive backfield bid farewell, one of which being safety Ron Parker. Their other safety, Eric Berry, has yet to see the field thanks to a heel injury that has kept him out since August. Needless to say, this Chiefs secondary isn’t quite primed and ready, as Philip Rivers threw for 400+ yards and three touchdowns despite emerging victorious against Los Angeles. Will Ben Roethlisberger and company find that same success through the air?

Chiefs legend Derrick Johnson went to the dark side and put a Oakland Raiders helmet on, but KC still maintains a strong crew of men at the position. Kansas City plays a 3-4 defense similar to the Steelers, with two inside linebackers and two outside linebackers.

Anthony Hitchens and Reggie Ragland (both studs) hold down the middle, while Dee Ford and Justin Houston man the outside edges. This linebacker corps, when healthy, is one that can do a little of everything in rushing the passer and stopping the run as well.

In the trenches is where this game will likely be won. Chris Jones and Allen Bailey play as defensive ends, as Xavier Williams anchors the middle of the defensive line down as nose tackle. This unit doesn’t exactly pop out as anything tremendous, and will certainly have their hands full with Pittsburgh’s offensive line.