It’s safe to say that the Pittsburgh Steelers did not dance after their Super Wild Card game on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs.
There’s no reason for celebration because they awakened the Chiefs scoring machine that finished with 42 points.
Likewise, the defeat is not a good sendoff for Ben Roethlisberger, who hinted at retirement after the season.
While the game will go on record as a loss for Pittsburgh, making the playoffs alone was a bonus.
After all, a lot had to happen for them to squeeze into the AFC postseason picture.
Steelers Stole A Playoff Berth
The Steelers did their part in keeping their playoff hopes alive by defeating the division rival Baltimore Ravens in Week 18.
However, their fate relied on other teams, especially the Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Chargers.
The Colts did their part by losing to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars on the road.
A week before, Indianapolis had a chance to enter the playoffs but lost to the Raiders.
However, the Steelers weren’t out of the woods yet because the Colts’ elimination led to an odd scenario.
This might my favorite analysis of the Pittsburgh Steelers ever pic.twitter.com/YGCbhOf03q
— Austin Newland (@austinnewland03) January 11, 2022
A tie between the Raiders and the Chargers would have brought them both to the playoffs and unseated Pittsburgh.
It looked like the Chargers-Raiders game would end in a tie until Brandon Staley pressed for time.
As a result, Rich Bisaccia opted for a field goal to seal the Raiders’ win.
The Chargers’ elimination meant that the Steelers were the AFC’s seventh seed.
Mike Tomlin dancing postgame 😂😂🔥 pic.twitter.com/j1cqvYUuo8
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) January 9, 2022
But clinching a playoff berth felt different because they shouldn’t have been there.
The Steelers accepted the reality that they would not play past the regular season because the Colts were peaking at the right time.
That’s why their game against the Chiefs was practically over by halftime.
Thank You For Coming, Pittsburgh
The game looked like another bye week for a Chiefs team that scored 35 unanswered points after T.J. Watt‘s fumble return for a touchdown.
That scoring barrage kept the game away for good, and the Steelers didn’t score an offensive touchdown until the latter part of the third quarter.
The Chiefs allowed Roethlisberger to conduct one final drive, which ended in smoke.
At the game’s end, not even the Steelers’ defense could rain on Patrick Mahomes‘ parade of 404 yards and five touchdowns.
Alex Highsmith's last four games of the season:
19 tackles, 11 pressures, 5 QB hits, 4 sacks, 4 TFL, 1 FF.
Strong end to his sophomore season. Becoming an excellent complement to TJ Watt. #Steelers
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) January 18, 2022
Kansas City’s offense outplayed Pittsburgh across the board.
The Chiefs had 478 total yards compared to the Steelers’ 257.
Even the rushing yards went to the home team’s favor, 106-56.
The Steelers’ problems with their offensive line also manifested through three sacks and eight tackles for losses by Kansas City.
Coach Tomlin on Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins: pic.twitter.com/LebzGjq6ZJ
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 18, 2022
Meanwhile, allowing the Chiefs to gain 7.4 yards per play did not help the Steelers’ cause.
Therefore, Pittsburgh’s unexpected playoff run ended in an expected disaster.
Any other team might have given the Chiefs a great fight.
But the Steelers were happy to extend their season for one more game.
Ben Roethlisberger addresses the media: pic.twitter.com/l3eeMO4MQY
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 17, 2022
However, it may take time before they reach the postseason again, given their quarterback situation.
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