Kansas City Chiefs (1-7)
vs.
Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3)
Monday, November 12, 7:30PM Central Time
at
Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
on ESPN
Watch online: Kansas City Chiefs vs San Diego Chargers Live Stream Online
Kansas City Chiefs (1-7)
vs.
Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3)
Monday, November 12, 7:30PM Central Time
at
Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
on ESPN
Watch online: Kansas City Chiefs vs San Diego Chargers Live Stream Online
***Official Chiefs Crowd Game Thread Starter***
This space is reserved for something that has nothing whatsoever to do with MatthewsChiefs. (Whoever THAT is!)
Team Leaders
Chiefs
Offense:
Passing
Matt Cassel
132-245, 1549 yds, 6 TDs, 11 INTs
Rushing
Jamaal Charles
132 carries, 634 yds, 2 TDs
Receiving
Dwayne Bowe
45 rec, 571 yds, 3 TDs
Defense:
Tackles
Derrick Johnson
65 tackles (55 solo)
Sacks
Justin Houston
6 sacks
Interceptions
Brandon Flowers
and Stanford Routt
2 INTs each
Full team stats
***Official Chiefs Crowd Game Thread Starter***
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Team Leaders
Chargers
Offense:
Passing
Ben Roethlisburger
200-298, 2203 yds, 10 TDs, 4 INTs
Rushing
Jonathon Dwyer
58 carries, 299 yds, TDs
Receiving
Mike Wallace
39 rec, 525 yds, 5 TDs
Defense:
Tackles
Larry Foote
57 tackles (40 solo)
Sacks
Larry Foote, LaMar Woodly and Jason Worilds
3 sacks each
Interceptions
Ryan Clark, Lawrence Timmons, Ike Taylor and LaMar Woodlt
1 INT each
Full team stats
***Official Chiefs Crowd Game Thread Starter***
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Notable Quotables
Chiefs: "Any team is only as good as what they can do on their home field. There used to be no tougher place to play in this league than Arrowhead. That's just disappeared, and that's our fault; we let it get away."
—Chiefs center Ryan Lilja
Steelers: "[Ben] hasn't played poorly all year. He's a big reason why we've been in games and why we feel we can win any game. That's why we feel we can go to the Super Bowl every year, because we have a championship-type quarterback."
---Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel
Spread: Steelers by 13, Over/Under 40.5
Game Day Forcast: Mostly Cloudy, 63 Degrees
B]ESPN Preview
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers - Preview - November 12, 2012 - ESPN
The Pittsburgh Steelers played well in a pair of wins to finish October but seemed to genuinely announce their arrival as contenders with a victory on the Super Bowl champions' home turf.
All it seems they need to do in the first of back-to-back primetime games at Heinz Field is avoid a letdown.
The Steelers haven't lost a home Monday night game in more than two decades, a streak that seems unlikely to end against a floundering Kansas City Chiefs team that's yet to hold a regulation lead this season.
Pittsburgh (5-3) stumbled to a 2/3 start, blowing fourth-quarter leads in its three road losses, before ending October by beating Cincinnati and Washington. That brief run of success looked like it might end last Sunday against the Giants, but this time it was the Steelers who rallied, coming from 10 down in the fourth to win 24-20.
"We're finishing the game now," linebacker LaMarr Woodley said after the NFL's No. 1 defense (262.6 yards per game) allowed negative-9 yards in the final 15 minutes. "I mean, that's the biggest thing ... we went to Oakland, we didn't finish and when we went to Tennessee, we didn't finish, but (Sunday) we finished."
The Steelers have allowed 15 points after halftime during their winning streak after surrendering 68 in their first five contests. They're right behind Baltimore in the AFC North and host the Ravens for a Sunday night showdown in Week 11.
"The only person that can beat the Steelers is the Steelers," running back Isaac Redman said.
If Pittsburgh can keep running the ball like it has the past three weeks, Redman may be right. The Steelers were 31st in the NFL in rushing (74.8 ypg) through Week 6, an average they've more than doubled (155.0) during their winning streak despite a revolving backfield of Redman and Jonathan Dwyer.
Dwyer missed the win over the Giants with a strained right quad, but both he and starter Rashard Mendenhall could play Monday night -- leaving coach Mike Tomlin with a good problem to have. Dwyer (3.0) and Redman (2.43) are in the league's top 10 in yards after contact.
"Whoever's being productive when healthy is going to get the totes," Tomlin said. "I really think it's that simple. I'm not going to make it any more complex than it has to be. At times this season we've had a running-back-by-committee approach because none of them had been overly effective at that time.
"When someone's effective, they'll get the ball."
The Steelers have been quite effective on Monday nights at home in a streak that dates to Bill Cowher's first season on the sidelines. They've won 14 in a row in such situations by an average of more than two touchdowns, though this will be their first since September 2008.
It's difficult to imagine that run ending this week. Already the first team since 1929 to fail to lead at any point in regulation through seven games, the Chiefs (1-7) again never led in falling 31-13 at San Diego on Nov. 1.
Coach Romeo Crennel had apparently seen enough after the team's fifth straight loss, so he decided to fire himself. Crennel removed himself as defensive coordinator, leaving Gary Gibbs to take over a unit that's allowing 30.0 points per game and a staggering 8.90 yards per pass attempt -- worst in the NFL.
"Romeo has to do what he has to do to save the team, and if somehow that's a spark for us, we don't know. We won't know until Monday night," linebacker Derrick Johnson said.
Kansas City's current struggles make its 2011 season seem like a grand success, but a 5-8 start one year after a 10-6 wild-card season still got Todd Haley fired and gave Crennel the chance to earn the full-time job. Haley is now the Steelers' offensive coordinator, guiding a unit that's the NFL's best converting third downs (51.3 percent).
Haley's offense isn't throwing downfield as much as predecessor Bruce Arians', but it may take some shots Monday. The Chiefs showed Stanford Routt the door this week, ending the cornerback's career in Kansas City just eight games after signing him to a three-year, $18 million deal.
Javier Arenas will move into the starting lineup opposite Brandon Flowers.
It appears Kansas City's secondary will catch a break with Pittsburgh receiver Antonio Brown doubtful after spraining his ankle against the Giants. Emmanuel Sanders will start if Brown can't go, and he'll also likely be returning punts -- normally Brown's job -- and kicks if Chris Rainey (ribs) is out.
Matt Cassel will start under center for the Chiefs with Brady Quinn out with a concussion, and Cassel likely needs to cut down on the turnovers to give Kansas City a chance. He's thrown 11 interceptions and fumbled eight times, losing seven.
The Chiefs have 29 turnovers -- 21 more than the Steelers and 10 more than anyone else in the league.
Ben Roethlisberger, who threw for 193 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the Steelers' 13-9 win at Arrowhead Stadium last season, has 31 TDs, six INTs and a 104.6 passer rating in his last 16 regular-season home games.
***Official Chiefs Crowd Game Thread Starter***
This space is reserved for something that has nothing whatsoever to do with MatthewsChiefs. (Whoever THAT is!)
I hope it's more competitive than the last few. Ac lose loss>a blowout.....
Doing my best to keep my sons memory alive!!!
They'll **** around and win this game. It's been our MO forever.
I was going to go to a sports bar and watch the game, since I don't have ESPN but, meh, it's kind of cold out there and it is much less painful to listen to it on the radio than it is to actually watch. I thnk I'll just stay home and save some money instead.
***Official Chiefs Crowd Game Thread Starter***
This space is reserved for something that has nothing whatsoever to do with MatthewsChiefs. (Whoever THAT is!)
I got a bottle of antacid on standby
Go Chiefs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TopekaRoy is my hero!
Beer in one hand.pepto in the other....lets rumble!!!@
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