The Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes brings his QB rating of 127.5 to Heinz Field today to confront an enigmatic, somewhat shaky team



… which Steeler team will show up? 

In past years, when the Kansas City Chiefs came to town, the Pittsburgh Steelers knew what to expect. Former starter Alex Smith, who was traded to the Washington Redskins,  was a conventional QB, sort of a middler, and the scores of the games were usually low for some reason.

The opposite may be true today because the Chiefs are led by a second-year QB named Patrick Mahomes. What is scary for Steeler fans is that Mahomes is entering the game after having completed 15 of 27 passes for 256 yards and four touchdowns, allowing him to compile a QB rating of 127.5.

Compare that to his opponent on Sunday, Ben Roethlisberger, who compiled a QB rating of 60.5 against the worst team in the NFL in 2017. Roethlisberger completed 23 of 41 passes for 335 yards and one touchdown, with three picks and two fumbles.

So, this game may come down to an interesting matchup: The 15-year veteran who is trying to prove that the first game was just an aberration, or the young dude with some outstanding young athletes around him.

Those include last year’s rushing leader, Kareem Hunt, whose Pro Bowl season included leading the NFL in rushing with 1,327 yards on 272 carries (4.9/carry), tallying eight touchdowns. The former Toledo running back, a third round pick for the Chiefs in 2017, also caught 53 passes for 455 yards and three TDs (8.6/catch).

Add in third-year receiver and kick returner Tyreek Hill, who returned his first touch last week for a TD, a 91-yard punt return. He also caught seven passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns, an incredible average of 24.1 per catch. Hill has been times at 4.25 in the 40-yard dash, so the Steelers will be hard-pressed with those two guys.

Mahones also has Sammy Watkins (3 for 21 yards) and tight end Travis Kelce (1 for 6 yards) to keep the defense busy.

That is why many prognosticators are picking this to be a high-scoring affair.

Steelers’ embarrassment last week

Pittsburgh was ahead of the Browns by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter last week, but they committed two costly turnovers that led to touchdowns.

However, it was the inconsistent play from the franchise QB that bothered the Steeler fans. What is concerning about Roethlisberger for this game is that he has been nursing a sore elbow all week and has practiced little.

Conner again the man

James Conner compiled some impressive numbers in his first start. He carried the ball 31 times for 135 yards (4.4/carry) and two touchdowns. He also caught five passes for 57 yards (11.4/catch) for a total of 192 yards on 36 touches.

He made the Steeler fans forget about holdout Le’Veon Bell, who will not be with the team again this week. Conner was guilty of giving up a key fumble that the Browns turned into a touchdown, but overall, had an outstanding game.

Steeler offense must produce

The Chiefs defense was 25th in the NFL last week, giving up 418 yards through the air and 123 on the ground. So, the Steelers must produce big numbers if they hope to win the game.

The Chiefs offense was ranked fourth in the league after one week, so that defense, which sometimes resembles a sieve, must play well against some very good young players.

Injuries: Steelers guard David DeCastro is doubtful with a broken hand, and DB Joe Haden is questionable with a hamstring issue. Cam Heyward and Roethlisberger are listed as probable.

The Chiefs will be missing two starters, LB Ben Nieman (hamstring) and safety Eric Berry (heel).

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