Kansas City Shuffle: Steelers Lose

24

27

The Steelers have to kick. Hope the changes-

Unreal. Jamaal Charles takes the opening kickoff back for a TD.

7-0

Coaches look real smart for cutting Anthony Madison right now.


The offense comes out and craps on themselves. Punt.


Kansas City's offense looks worse. Colquitt booms a punt that dies inside the 2. What a kick.


Mendenhall gets us out of trouble by gashing the Chiefs right up the middle to get across the 15. On 3rd and 4, rather than go for a short pass, Ben goes downfield for Wallace in single coverage. He underthrows it, but Wallace makes a great catch over the shoulder. As he tries to elude the DB, the ball gets knocked out and KC recovers. That's almost as good as a punt from there.


Charles makes a good run on first down to get to second and short, but the Steelers defense stands tall twice and forces a punt. This one rolls into the end zone for a touchback.


Ben comes out going play-action and finds Hines wide open across the middle for a 33-yarder to move the Steelers across midfield. Parker gets two carries and sets up a 3rd and 2. Arians shocks the world and runs the ball for the first time all year on 3rd and 2. Moore picks it up with a great second-effort. The Steelers get set back by two penalties. Hines can't quite reach the sticks on 3rd down but Mendenhall goes off left tackle and picks up the first down. Hines picks up a few on a bubble screen then Parker does nothing.

Second Quarter

Once again, on 3rd and medium, rather than going for the first down, Ben goes downfield and overthrows Wallace in the end zone. Reed knocks it right now the middle.

7-3

Ike Taylor steps up and makes a special teams tackle after Charles gets through a seam. At this point, would kicking it out of bounds be a bad strategy?

The Steelers look poised to force another 3-and-out, but KC runs a fullback option on 3rd and short and is able to pick it up. The Steelers force the Chiefs into a 3rd and long and Ziggy gets a paw on the ball to knock down a Cassel pass. Logan makes some moves on the punt return, but it gets called back on a holding penalty on Donovan Woods.

Backed up inside the 5, Ben hits Mendenhall out of the backfield, then Raise Some rips through the defense to move the chains. Hines reels one in for another first down, then throws a great block to spring Heath for a big 41-yard romp down the sidelines after a short pass. On 3rd and 8 just outside the 20, Ben finally throws a smart pass and rips one to Heath across the middle to get inside the 10. On 2nd down, Ben creates some time and steps out of the pocket and finds Hines wide open in the back of the end zone.

10-7

Hines does a Tomahawk Chop celebration because he's a dirty player who lets his game talk louder than his mouth.

Big Snack eats the entire O-line for lunch and storms the Cassel. First sack of the game. The Chiefs can't do anything. Punt. Logan makes a few moves on the return and takes it back across the 50.

The Steelers take over with 4 and a half to play. Raise Some gets a check-down and scampers for 13 yards to get to the edge of field goal range. The Steelers get themselves into a third and short as the clock hits two.

Two Minute Warning

Ben goes downfield to Wallace on a deep out, and Wallace makes a great catch on a ball on his back shoulder.

On 2nd down, Ben brings Heath in motion to block. Heath chips Tamba Hali to slow down the rush then peels out as a check-down. Ben makes two rushers miss in the backfield then finds Heath across the middle for the touchdown.

17-7

Kansas City executes some terrible clock management allowing the clock to run with 3 timeouts on the board. With 2 seconds left, they opt to go for it on 4th down and Cassel gets buried by Woodley.

Halftime

Brady Quinn and Matthew Stafford are having a shootout in Detroit.

Halftime Stats:

Cassel: 4/10 35 yards

Roethlisberger: 16/20, 221 yards, 2 TD

Miller: 67 yards, 1 TD

Ward: 59 yards, 1 TD

Incredibly, Cassel isn't having the worst half of a QB today. Alex Smith in San Francisco was 3 for 7 for 5 yards.

Third Quarter

The Steelers get the ball to start, and Logan takes the return out across the 35. Ben hits Hines across the middle on 2nd down to move the sticks and get things rolling. Ben eludes some pressure and throws dowfield for Heath. The ball bounces off Heath's shoulder and the Chiefs snag it for the interception.

Kansas City looks poised to lay an egg, but Cassel hits Chris Chambers on a come-back route on the sideline to pick up a 3rd down. They go right back to the air and find someone open down the seam to get inside the 30. Cassel keeps rolling through the air and finds former Cardinal TE Leonard Pope wide open at the goal line. No idea who had the coverage there, but it was blown badly.

17-14

Logan takes his first knee of the season on the kickoff. Smart play. On the commercial break, CBS does a good job with an overhead view showing the scissors route KC ran for the TD and how Willie Gay took the wrong guy.

Ben goes to Spaeth on first down to get things going again, but Mendenhall can't pick it up on 3rd and 1. Punt.

Kansas City goes run-run-pass and Ryan Clark almost comes down with an interception. Punt.

Ben comes out on a mission and rips one to Holmes on a slant route. Heath gets called for a penalty after the play, moving the Steelers back. Ben hits Holmes again on a quick-hitter to move the chains. Ben is determined not to be sacked today and shrugs off another rusher, finding Hines with a bullet across the middle. Ben goes back to Hines for 19 more to get inside the 35. Parker picks up 12 on two carries. Willie Colon gets called for a hold on first down, setting us back past the 30. Ben goes back to Tone, who makes a diving catch at the 20. Mendenhall makes a great block off of a play-action and Ben rips one to Miller across the middle to move the chains. Ben has a pass tipped across the middle to Hines and it gets picked off at the goal line. Mendenhall makes a GREAT play coming all the way back down the field to make a tackle to keep Kansas City out of the end zone.

Woodley makes a HUGE play to shed a block to make a sack on first down. On 3rd and goal, Harrison joins the party to force a field goal.

17-17

Big-time shout-out to Mendenhall there for coming all the way back down the field to make that tackle and keep KC out of the end zone and give our defense a chance to make a play, which they did. Twice.

Fourth Quarter

Ben comes out and zips one to Holmes on a post to immediately get us near midfield. Ben eludes 2 more guys with an inspired effort not to get sacked and throws the ball away. Starks gets hurt and the Steelers patchwork offensive line barely holds, forcing Ben to take off. He can't reach the sticks and it's punt time.

The Steelers give the Chiefs life with a facemask penalty on Carter. On 3rd down, Timmons comes around the outside and knocks the ball away from Cassel. Harrison falls on the ball for a huge turnover.

Starks is back as the Steelers take over inside the 30. On 3rd and 1, Raise Some pounds the rock up the gut to get inside the 10. On 2nd and goal, Mendenhall runs a seam route out of the backfield and Ben finds him wide open at the goal line.

24-17

On third down, Cassel hits a 30-yard pass down the seam. He goes back down the field and finds Chambers wide open behind the safeties. Thankfully the ball is underthrown and gives Clark a chance to make the tackle inside the 15. 77 yards in two plays? Polamalu would have never allowed it. The Steelers hold on first and second down, but Charles leans forward and picks up a first down inside the 5. Keisel made a good play to save the touchdown. KC goes play-action on first down and hits Charles for the TD.

24-24

007 hits Heath twice to move the chains. After a run on first down, Ben gets a pass knocked down then gets sacked on an all-out blitz on 3rd down. Punt.

KC takes over at the 25 with 2:17 and 2 timeouts. After an incompletion on first down, KC hits one underneath to set up 3rd and 3.

Two Minute Warning

Ryan Clark makes a huge play to break up a pass on an out route on 3rd down. Moore fair catches at the 20 with 1:47 to go.

Ben gets sacked on first down as Mewelde Moore can't hold a block. KC gets called for illegal contact, giving the Steelers a first down. Ben hits Hines on an out-route that he takes up the sideline for 13 yards to move the chains. Ben hits Heath on a hot route for 5. Ben throws low and away from Hines, setting up 3rd and 5. KC calls an all-out blitz again and Ben tries to step up away from pressure but gets pulled down.

KC takes a knee and runs it out.

Overtime

Harvey Dent smiles at us as we win the coin toss.

Logan takes his second knee of the season.

Raise Some gets 7 up the gut. Ben holds onto the ball forever then zips it to Hines open in the zone across the middle. Raise Some keeps his legs churning and spins out across the 50 for a 7-yard gain. Ben scrambles out of the pocket and comes up just short of the sticks, getting a knee to the head. To make matters worse, the Steelers get called for a holding penalty and Ben stays down.

Steelers nation holds their breath as Ben is walked off the field and Homestead Charlie comes out. Homestead Charlie rips one to Holmes to pick up the first down and get the Steelers inside the 45. Arians shows his ineptitude by calling a 5-wide set with Batch in on first down. Raise Some makes a great carry, making guys miss and getting down to the 35. On 3rd and 2, Arians kills us by calling a toss play, and Moore gets pulled down in the backfield. Sepulveda has to come out to punt. Touchback.

Charles spins out of tackles to pick up 11 and get across the 30. Ike almost comes up with a pick on a deep pass to Chambers. The defense falls apart on 3rd down as Chambers catches one on a crossing route and takes it down the sidelines 61 yards down to the 4.

KC brings out the field goal team right away. Succop connects.

Steelers fans immediately head to the West End Bridge.

Vomit.

Players of the Game:

Offensive Game Ball- Hines Ward

Defensive Game Ball- LaMarr Woodley

Honorable Mention:

Heath Miller

Mr. Yuck Sticker of the Game

Losing to Kansas City.

Are you freaking kidding me? Wow. Bruce Arians should be fired tonight for the play-calling he made during OT with Batch in there. What a terrible coaching job. The defense is totally different without Polamalu in there. Losing to Cincinnati is one thing. Losing to Kansas City is another. This is almost as embarrassing as when we lost to Oakland in Cowher's last season. Heads need to roll after this one.

Final Thoughts

• Do what you can to talk your friends off the West End Bridge, but it might not work.
• Fire Arians.
• Ben has had 4 drives in the last 5 minutes of games the last two weeks when we needed a score. Haven't scored on any of them.
• This one hurts.