NFL Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs
Pittsburgh Attempts to Give Chiefs First Loss
Will this be the day in the 2017 season that the Kansas City Chiefs lose a game. Today at 4:25 p.m. E.T. the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2 Overall, 2-1 Away) visit the Kansas City Chiefs (5-0 Overall, 2-0 Home). The Chiefs are the only team in the NFL that has not lost a game. Last week, KC beat the Houston Texans 42-34. Each one of their victories has been by seven points of more. Pittsburgh comes in having lost their last two of three. On Sep 24, the Chicago Bears surprised the Steelers, as the Bears beat them in OT 23-17. The next week Pittsburgh took down Baltimore 26-9, and then last week, the Jacksonville Jaguars beat Pittsburgh 30-9. Our Pittsburgh plays Kansas City 2017 NFL pick has the Chefs favored by -3.5 and the totals at 45.5.
Pittsburgh Pluses and Minuses
The Steelers have a solid defense that is allowing only 17.8 PPG. But their offense has been taxed, only averaging 19.8 PPG. QB Ben Roethlisberger (61.5 COMP%, 6 TDs, 9 INTs) has struggled with accuracy this season. At the same time, WR Antonio Brown (40 REC, 545 YDs, 1 TD) has been sound, but he’s only scored once thus far. RB Le’Veon Bell has seen his output drop, as he’s averaging just 3.6 YPA, which is about a yard off of his career mark. The good news is the Steeler defense, which has 17 sacks, five picks, and six forced fumbles. They have also notched 19 TFL and 22 PD.
Steeler Summary
- Offensive output is low
- Defense can keep them in game
- Can their very fine secondary stop Smith?
Kansas City Pluses and Minuses
The Chiefs may be allowing 22.2 PPG on defense, but they are scoring 32.8 PPG. They have been tough to stop this year. Their defense has been sound versus the run, but they have a tough time against the air attack. In terms of the Kansas City attack, they can take it to you on both the ground and in the air. QB Alex Smith (76.6 COMP%, 11 TDs, 0 INTs) has been exceptionally accurate. His one issue is the sack. He’s been brought down 17 times. He has a slew of fine receivers to toss to, including the athletic Tyreek Hill. The ground attack features rookie Kareem Hunt who is averaging 6.9 YPA and has four TDs and a total of 609 yards. In some ways, the KC defense has done a good job, recording 14 sacks, seven FF, and 24 PD. They also have 16 TFL and 24 PD. They’ll need to control Pittsburgh’s are game today.
Chiefs Summary
- Smith, Hill and Hunt are exceptional
- Defense needs to step up on air game
- Mix of ground and air will keep Steelers off balance
Three Takeaways
- Smith vs. Roethlisberger, edge to Smith
- Hill vs. Brown, edge to Hill
- Hunt vs. Bell, edge to Hunt
Our Steelers at Chiefs Free Pick
Here we go on our Pittsburgh plays Kansas City 2017 NFL pick. We like the Steeler D, but really prefer the KC offense. Because of the advantage the Chiefs have on offense our Pittsburgh plays Kansas City 2017 NFL pick is the Chiefs at -3.5. We also like the over at 45.5.
Pittsburgh Visits Kansas City Free Pick: KC at -3.5 and over 45.4
