The NFL playoffs this season has a great lineup of games, but Sunday night's tilt between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs could perhaps be the most intriguing.
Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger looks to be on his final run as a player while Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes hopes to take his team to the Super Bowl for a third-consecutive year. One of their seasons will end tonight. If the Steelers lose, then it could be the end of Roethlisberger's career.
These two longstanding AFC franchises have only met twice in playoff history, with each team winning once. The last time was Jan. 15, 2017 when the Steelers went into Kansas City and pulled out an 18-16 win. That was before the Chiefs drafted Mahomes.
Pittsburgh not only needed an overtime win in its final regular-season game last week, but they needed a loss by Indianapolis Colts to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars and to hope the Raiders and Chargers didn't tie. The Colts lost and the Raiders got a last-second field goal in overtime to win.
It seems like Big Ben was destined for one last playoff run. Now the Chiefs stand in the way.
Here's everything to know about the Steelers-Chiefs game on Sunday.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs
Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022, 8:15 p.m ET
Arrowhead Stadium
Records: Pittsburgh (9-7-1); Kansas City (12-5)
Referee: Shawn Smith
TV: NBC/Peacock/Telemundo
National Radio: Westwood One
SIRIUS: 82 (Pit.), 85 (KC), 88 (National)
XM: 225 (Pit.), 227 (KC), 88 (National)
SXM App: 826 (Pit.), 815 (KC)
Favorite: Kansas City (-12.5) — According to FanDuel
Over/Under: 46.5
Weather: 33 degrees at kickoff, mostly clear and mild wind
All-time head-to-head: Steelers lead, 22-12
Playoffs head-to-head: Series tied, 1-1
All-time playoff records: Pittsburgh (36-26, .581); Kansas City (15-20, .429)
Last postseason game:
Pittsburgh — Lost, 48-37 vs Cleveland (1/10/21)
Kansas City — Lost, 31-9 vs Tampa Bay (2/7/21)
Quick Hits
- Kansas City is trying to become the fourth team in NFL history to play in three-straight Super Bowl games, which would match the Miami Dolphins (1971-73), Buffalo Bills (1990-93) and New England Patriots (2016-18).
- The Pittsburgh defense, led by Pro Bowl selectees T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward, this year became the first team in NFL history to lead league in sacks five-consecutive seasons.
- The Chiefs ranked third in the NFL for total offense (396.8 yards per game) and fourth in scoring offense (28.2 points per game).
- Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes finished the 2021 regular season ranked fourth in the NFL with 4,839 pass yards and tied for fourth with 37 touchdown passes.
- Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will make his 23rd postseason start, tying him for fourth all-time among quarterbacks with Joe Montana.
- Steelers running back Najee Harris led all rookies in the league this year with 1,667 scrimmage yards (1,200 rushing, 467 receiving), which are the most by a rookie in team history.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Scott McDonald is a Newsweek deputy night editor based in Cape Coral, Florida. His focus is assigning and writing stories ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
