Steelers at Chiefs
THE STORY: Few teams have made much better use of their bye week than the Pittsburgh Steelers in the past few seasons. The Steelers will look to make it four consecutive wins coming off a bye when they visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night. Pittsburgh has mauled the opposition following a bye in the past three seasons, putting up 94 points and allowing only 30 in those games. No player needed the extra week off more than Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who fractured a thumb on his throwing hand in a win at Cincinnati on Nov. 13 but is expected to play Sunday. The injury-riddled Chiefs have lost three straight.
TV: NBC, 8:30 p.m. ET. LINE: Steelers -10.5, O/U 39
ABOUT THE STEELERS (7-3): Pittsburgh has won five of its last six, with a last-second loss to Baltimore the only blemish during that stretch. Still, Mike Tomlin has not been satisfied with the team’s play and benched three veterans – WR Hines Ward, CB Bryant McFadden and LG left guard Chris Kemoeatu. With Roethlisberger’s thumb an issue, the Steelers may look to get RB Rashard Mendenhall untracked against Kansas City’s 28th-ranked run defense. He has only one 100-yard game this season.
ABOUT THE CHIEFS (4-6): Kansas City has sandwiched a pair of three-game losing skids around a four-game winning streak. QB Tyler Palko make his first career start last week and acquitted himself well for a half before winding up with three interceptions in a 34-3 loss at New England. Palko will likely return to the bench following Sunday’s start after the Chiefs picked up Kyle Orton on waivers Wednesday. Kansas City has scored 16 points in its last three games.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Kansas City is 5-0 in its last five Sunday night home games.
2. Steelers WR Mike Wallace needs 78 yards for his second straight 1,000-yard season.
3. Kansas City ranks last in the league in sacks (12.0) while the Steelers are at the bottom in interceptions (4).