The Steelers will visit Arrowhead Stadium to face the Chiefs Sunday in Kansas City. Here are five things to know about the AFC West team that is off to a 5-0 start:
Beware of Kareem Hunt — The rookie out of Toledo was not in the mix when the Steelers beat the Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs last season. He has made a huge difference for Kansas City this season, though. He did this in a Week 1 win against the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots...
Back to the future like streaks of 🔥 are on the field. pic.twitter.com/HFks8624CM
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) September 8, 2017
...and he has not slowed down since, amassing 609 yards and four touchdowns on the ground to go with 166 yards and two scores through the air. He’ll be a handful for a Steelers defense that’s had trouble slowing down Chicago’s Jordan Howard and Jacksonville’s Leonard Fournette already this season.
Alex Smith is reinvented — For much of his 13-year career, Smith has been bland and unremarkable, outshined by skill players on his own team first in San Francisco, then Kansas City. Now, however, he’s tossing darts like this one all over the place.
Update: He's still faster than ya.
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 9, 2017
Smith ➡️ Hill for a 38-yard gain. pic.twitter.com/a4aX2DiRfK
For the season, he’s completed a whopping 76.6 percent of his passes for 1,391 yards and almost nine yards per completion. He has 11 touchdowns and no interceptions, and he’s coming off a huge game in Houston where he completed 29 of 37 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns. The Steelers face a tall task in disrupting his confidence on the road.
Tyreek Hill is still an X-factor — Not only is the receiver off to a better start as a pass catcher this year — he has 25 receptions and leads the Chiefs with 356 receiving yards — but he’s also still very dangerous in the return game. He effectively put the game out of reach for Houston with this run-back in the fourth quarter Sunday night.
TYREEEEEEEK! 💨💨💨
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 9, 2017
The Flash also wears red and gold. @justiceleaguewb pic.twitter.com/Tw40JQyev9
The Steelers did a pretty good job containing him in the playoff game last season, allowing an average of 18 yards per kickoff return. But they’ll have to be on their toes regardless, as he has the ability to change a game quickly.
Travis Kelce’s status in question — The star tight end didn’t play in the second half against the Texans because of a concussion, so his health will be something to keep an eye on this week. He leads Kansas City with 29 receptions, and he’s hooked up with Smith for two touchdowns, so he’s obviously a key part of making this passing game go. The Steelers would be catching a break if he isn’t able to go.
Defense is banged up — Five-time Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry is out for the year with a ruptured Achilles tendon. Linebacker Dee Ford was held out of the Texans game with a back injury, and his counterpart Justin Houston did not finish the game. If there’s a weakness the Steelers might be able to exploit, this could be it. Ben Roethlisberger will need to play better after throwing five interceptions against Jacksonville. But that should be a little easier to do without a guy like Berry in the secondary.
Adam Bittner: abittner@post-gazette.com and Twitter, @fugimaster24.
First Published: October 9, 2017, 5:27 p.m.
