Five memorable games from the Kansas City Chiefs’ all-time series against the Steelers
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Chiefs vs. Steelers
The KC Chiefs play host to the Steelers for the second time in less than a month, but this one’s for keeps: The winner advances to the AFC Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs.
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Sunday’s AFC Wild Card Game at Arrowhead Stadium will mark the 37th time the Chiefs will face the Pittsburgh Steelers and the 36th playoff game in Kansas City’s franchise history.
Pittsburgh holds a 23-13 advantage in the series, and this is the third time the Steelers and Chiefs will meet in the postseason. They split the previous two games. The Chiefs have faced only two franchises more often in their postseason history: the Colts and Bills.
Here is a look back at those two previous playoff games between the Chiefs and Steelers and three other noteworthy contests from their all-time series history.
1993 Wild Card Game
Jan. 8 1994 at Arrowhead Stadium
This was a crazy one.
Pittsburgh led by 10 at halftime, but the Chiefs tied the game in the fourth quarter. The Steelers went back ahead on a pass from Neil O’Donnell to Tim Barnett.
The Chiefs blocked a punt and tied the game on Joe Montana’s 7-yard pass with 1 minute, 43 seconds left. Nick Lowery missed a 43-yard field goal in regulation, but given a second chance, Lowery made a 32-yard attempt in overtime to win it.
“That is why,” Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer said afterward, “there is nothing wrong with the National Football League.”
2016 AFC Divisional Game
Jan. 15, 2017 at Arrowhead Stadium
Once upon a time, the Chiefs were playoff underachievers, and this was just one more sad example.
The Chiefs didn’t allow a touchdown but still came up short as Pittsburgh kicked six field goals and won a game that started seven hours later than expected because of inclement weather.
Trailing by eight late in the game, the Chiefs got a 1-yard touchdown run from Spencer Ware. Then they seemingly made a two-point conversion.
But a holding penalty negated the conversion, and the Chiefs’ next attempt was incomplete. Pittsburgh got the ball back, picked up a first down and ran out the clock.
The holding call enraged Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce who said: “The ref shouldn’t be able to wear a zebra jersey ever again. He shouldn’t be able to wear it at Foot Locker.”
Cowher’s return
Oct. 25, 1992 at Arrowhead Stadium
After three seasons as the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator, Bill Cowher was hired as the Steelers’ head coach ahead of the 1992 season.
The Steelers played the Chiefs in Kansas City that year, and Cowher was a big winner at Arrowhead. Pittsburgh limited the Chiefs to 163 yards of total offense and intercepted Dave Krieg three times.
“We really did want to win this one for Coach Cowher,” Steelers quarterback Neil O’Donnell said afterward. “No one brought it up. No one made a big deal out of it. We knew how much it meant to him.”
Playoff bound
Dec. 21, 1986 at Three Rivers Stadium
The Chiefs needed to win their final game of the 1986 season to clinch their first playoff berth in 15 years.
They did it with special teams and defense. Deron Cherry recovered a blocked punt in the end zone, Boyce Green returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown and Lloyd Burruss returned a blocked field goal 78 yards for a score as the Chiefs took a 24-6 halftime lead.
Leading 24-13 heading into the fourth quarter, the Chiefs leaned on their defense, which held the Steelers to a pair of short field goals to put the game away.
“If someone had told me we’d have 515 yards to their 171, I’d have said we were a shoo-in,” Steelers coach Chuck Noll said. “I think this shows the importance of getting the job done on special teams plays. We gave up three touchdowns and that did us in.”
Six for Mahomes
Sept. 26, 2018 at Heinz Field
In his third career start, quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw six touchdown passes, tying Len Dawson’s franchise single-game record.
Three came in the first quarter and it appeared the Chiefs would blow out the Steelers. But Pittsburgh tied the game at 21 by halftime and it was 28-all midway through the third quarter.
That was before Mahomes threw TD passes in the third and fourth quarter and the defense allowed only one more score. Mahomes shredded the Steel Curtain that day, completing 23 of 28 passes for 326 yards and a 154.8 passer rating.
“He doesn’t see it as pressure,” Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley said of Mahomes after the game. “He sees it as an opportunity, and he’s gone out there and he’s made the most of it.”
This story was originally published January 11, 2022 at 9:52 AM with the headline "Five memorable games from the Kansas City Chiefs’ all-time series against the Steelers."
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