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Three up, three down: Steelers vs. Chiefs

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Opportunity lost in Kansas City.

With a chance to get their third win in four games with Ben Roethlisberger out of the lineup, the Pittsburgh Steelers were unable to get a much needed conference victory against the 1-4 Chiefs, losing a mistake riddled contest, 23-13 at Arrowhead Stadium.

The loss pushes the Steelers to 2.5 games behind the Cincinnati Bengals, and makes next week’s matchup against their division rival crucial to any hopes of winning the AFC North.

Let’s look at the best and worst in the disappointing loss to the Chiefs.

Three Up:

*It looks like the Steelers have found a reliable kicker in Chris Boswell. Boswell made both of his FG attempts against the Chiefs, and also showed a strong leg on kickoffs, which looked like it might be a possible issue in his first two games. It’s getting more and more difficult to find kickers that you can trust, and Boswell might have solidified the position after the nightmare that was the Josh Scobee experiment.

*Antonio Brown had his first 100-yard game since the Roethlisberger injury, unfortunately it did not help the Steelers get a win. He was obviously more involved in the offense and unlike his stint with Michael Vick, seems to have established a rapport with Landry Jones.  It was not all positive for Brown, as his tip-drill play on a deflected pass from Jones would ultimately end up in the hands of Chiefs safety Eric Berry.
Le’Veon Bell rushed for 117 yards and added four catches on the day, but did he get enough touches?
*Linebacker Lawrence Timmons was a bright spot for a defense that had a bad day at the office, registering 13 total tackles and a half-sack. Ryan Shazier came away from his first game in several weeks unscathed and added five tackles and a half sack. Cameron Heyward is a perennial addition to this column, and his five tackles and a sack were the reason this week.
Three down:
*Jones was responsible for three turnovers, nearly matching the team’s season total of four heading into Sunday’s contest. After dazzling the home crowd in the second half against the Cardinals, Jones came back to earth in his first NFL start, proving to be still very much a work in progress. Much like his preseason performances the past three seasons, Jones struggled to push over the 60 percent completion mark going 16 for 29 against the Chiefs.
*What is up with all the missed tackles? Antwon Blake and Arthur Moats missed a easy tackle of Albert Wilson that turned a short gain into a 40-yard dash down the sideline. Only a hustle play by Shazier stopped the play from being a touchdown.
The Steelers would miss multiple chances to bring down Charcandrick West on a long run that would help lead to the Chiefs final, decisive touchdown drive. West, who was averaging less than four yards a carry coming into the game, rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown on the day.
Alex Smith was able to do just enough to help the Chiefs offense get the job done. His ability to convert 9 of 16 third-down conversions is something that will not make the coaching staff happy this week during film review.
*The inability to get pressure on Smith or force turnovers hurt the Steelers badly. Despite of the Chiefs being among the league leaders in sacks allowed, the offensive line consistently provided adequate time for Smith to make plays downfield all afternoon long. Couple that would a -3 turnover margin, and you have a recipe for a disappointing road loss.

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