Steelers' Odds Of Success Over Chiefs Improve With Return Of This One Player: "They've Seen What We've Done"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are on the tail end of a tough gauntlet of three games in less than two weeks. To make it even more challenging, these are the Steelers' most difficult opponents of the season. It started in Week 15 with the Philadelphia Eagles and quickly moved to the Saturday game against the Baltimore Ravens. Now, four days later, they will play the Kansas City Chiefs at Acrisure Stadium on Christmas Day. Many people wonder if they even have a shot against the Chiefs due to the recent two game skid.

Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said on his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, that the league is just greedy. He believes NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is more worried about money than player safety. The Steelers aren't the only team in this boat. The Ravens and the Chiefs are also playing on the same very short turnaround. There is also an argument that the Steelers got the tougher selection of games. The Ravens had the New York Giants and the Houston Texans; the Chiefs had the Texans and the Cleveland Browns. 

In addition to the difficulty of the games, the Steelers have also suffered injuries that have had a major impact. The most notable ones were George Pickens, Donte Jackson, DeShon Elliott, and Larry Ogunjobi. Those losses may have contributed to the Steelers' failure to win against the Ravens and Eagles, at least according to Roethlisberger.  

He said that Pittsburgh has a real shot at winning on Christmas Day, especially if Pickens returns. However, he believes that the Chiefs, who are starting to get healthy, will give the Steelers all they've got.

"I'm hoping we get George back," said Roethlisberger. "I think that'll be huge for us. They've kind of seen what we've done, and you can only find so many ways to get that guy [Calvin Austin III] the ball. Calvin's done a great job of creating a couple of splash plays here and there, but the threat of George is going to be worth it's weight in gold. Playing at home on Christmas is a lot different than playing on the road on Christmas."

While the Steelers are a bit banged up, the former two-time Super Bowl winner pointed out that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has also been battling an injury. Mahomes recently suffered a high ankle sprain, which is painful and can take weeks to recover. However, Mahomes continues to show that he is superhuman, as he showed no signs of injury in their recent win over the Texans.  

Roethlisberger said while some favors work for Pittsburgh, he is still nervous about the game. The Steelers and the Chiefs will face off at 1:00 PM EST on Christmas Day. This will be the fourth time Mahomes has played the Steelers since he was drafted, and he beat the black and gold all three times. 

Steelers' Defense Frightens Ben Roethlisberger The Most

Roethlisberger is concerned about the Steelers' defense; he used the word "scared." While the defense has struggled with injuries recently, Roethlisberger said they have to be able to make something happen if they are going to win in the playoffs. 

He said that the passing defense, in particular, makes him nervous. They haven't shown they can get pressure on the quarterback consistently, and that led to teams like the Eagles and the Ravens being able to dismantle the unit. This is especially frustrating because this defense is the highest-paid unit in the league. 

It did not help that TJ Watt was recovering from an ankle injury and didn't appear as explosive as usual. Then Joey Porter Jr. went out with an apparent injury and tried to return against the Ravens but couldn't. While Watt is expected to play against the Chiefs, Porter was listed as out. It appears that Jackson will return against the Chiefs which is good news for Pittsburgh.

Do you like the Steelers' chances against the Chiefs with Pickens playing?

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