Chiefs-Steelers prediction: Will COVID-19 absences sway the outcome in Kansas City?
The Chiefs, and the entire NFL for the matter, have moved into the world of the unpredictable, with a COVID-19 outbreak affecting one-fourth of their active roster.
Won’t stop us from making a prediction, though.
The Steelers visit Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday afternoon for a matchup that looks a heck of a lot different than it did when the week started. The Chiefs, at least for now, look as though they’ll be without perennial Pro Bowl receivers Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, absences that figure to drastically alter their offense — even if they say otherwise.
Yes, they will put that next-man-up philosophy to the ultimate test, and they’ll have to do it on short notice. They’ve added 10 players from the active roster to the reserve/COVID-19 list this week alone.
How much will that change the game? Quite a bit, most likely.
Will it change the outcome? We don’t think so. The Chiefs should still have enough to get by the Steelers, particularly with L’Jarius Sneed, Willie Gay and Chris Jones set to return for a defense that won without all three of those players last week in Los Angeles.
The Chiefs might have a more difficult time finding the end zone without Patrick Mahomes’ top options, but the Steelers’ offense has struggled this season, and there’s no reason they should suddenly awaken against a surging Chiefs defense.
Kickoff: 3:25 p.m. Central
TV/radio: CBS (Ch. 5)/WDAF (106.5 FM)
Line: Chiefs by 7 1/2
Sam McDowell’s prediction: Chiefs 20-13
This story was originally published December 24, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Chiefs-Steelers prediction: Will COVID-19 absences sway the outcome in Kansas City?."